Having trouble choosing a digital camera? This article presents all of the things that you should consider before you spend your hard-earned money.
We all know that having great pictures of our lives adds so much to our memories of wonderful events that have happened. Sites such as Facebook and MySpace are great social networking tools, but, in reality, most people visit these sites to look at the latest pictures of themselves and their friends. The value of having a great camera cannot be underestimated.
The first question that you must ask is: Should I upgrade? You probably already have a digital camera. It might be a little older and more bulky than the current digital camera offerings. With new digital cameras coming out everyday, you have certainly wondered whether you should keep your existing camera or upgrade to a new, sleek model.
Let's look at the facts that you should consider. The first thing everyone looks at in a digital camera is the number of megapixels. In all probability, your camera does not have as many megapixels as the new ones on the market today. You may have 5 or 3.2 megapixels in your existing camera while most of the new digital cameras have 8, 10, or even 12 megapixels.
We need to ask: Is this important?
The answer is yes, especially if you want to print your photos. For instance, your older 3.2 megapixel camera can produce decent 4X6 photos but as you increase the size that you want to print, the quality will diminish. New cameras of 8 megapixels or more can print just about any size photos. When you have more than 8 megapixels, the camera lens usually becomes the limitation.
If you are an amateur photographer, you want to take note of the optical zoom of the lens. (You will often see a "digital zoom" specified in advertisements but this is not important.) Your old digital camera probably has unsatisfactory optical zoom. To me, optical zoom is very important as it allows you to take great pictures at greater distances. The minimum standard now-a-days is 3X optical zoom, but I would suggest looking for cameras that have a greater number, such as 4X or 5X optical zoom.
One factor that is often overlooked is the portability of the camera. We are able to take so many pictures today because cameras are so small and portable. If you would like to take pictures anywhere, you must have your camera with you at all times. Ask the question: Will it fit easily in my pocket or purse? Today, you do not have to sacrifice quality just because you want a small camera.
Perhaps the most important consideration in your purchase is the viewing screen. Why? Well, a good portion of the fun with new digital cameras is the ability to look at the photo immediately after you take it. For this, you need to have a great LCD screen on the camera. If you are unable to look at a camera before you purchase it, pay particular attention to what people say about the viewing area. Is it large enough? Does it have a bright LCD so that you can view the pictures in the daytime or nighttime?
So what would be my suggestions? There are currently two new Canon cameras on the market that meet the criteria above. First, is the PowerShot SD780IS. It meets all of our criteria above and is probably the most stylish point and shoot camera that you can currently buy. And secondly, I would point out the Powershot SD880IS. It too meets our guidelines for quality and portability and comes with a 4X stabilized zoom, allowing great pictures from afar.
If you look at these criteria--megapixels, zoom, portability, and quality of the viewfinder--you will always choose wisely. Finally, if you are buying online, be sure to read all the reviews of others to ensure that they are satisfied with their new digital camera.(*)
How To Choose a New Digital Camera
Avira Antivirus has launched a new version:
After Kaspersky, Avira finally released the official Avira Antivir 9.
If you are using a previous version, you can upgrade to version 9 with free. What new features of Avira Antivir 9?
With the presence of this new version, avira adding some new features, such as the new update that minimize the restart (reboot) the computer, the ability to maintain themselves, quick removal, the performance of a more rapid and more.
New features Avira Antivir 9:
AHeADTech, detect viruses that have not been known
SelfDefense, self-defense to prevent the virus kill (disable switch) antivirus
Quick Removal, the virus quickly
NetBoook Support features for a laptop with low resolution.
Support multi-processor and multi-core processors, enabling performance to be faster up to 20%
MPEG-4
MPEG-4, Moving Pictures Experts Group, is a series of standards designed to reduce the storage requirements of digital video. MPEG-4 provides the standardized technological elements for the integration of interactive graphics applications and interactive multimedia.
MPED-4 is a graphics and video compression algorithm standard that is based on MPEG-1, MPEG-2 and Apple QuickTime technology. Is the latest compression standard developed by MPEG, the same group that brought us MPEG-1 and MPEG-2. MPEG-4 brings higher levels of interaction with content, controlled by the content developers.
MPEG-4 is a group of audio and video coding standards and related technology. The primary uses for the MPEG-4 standard are web (streaming media) and CD distribution, conversational (videophone), and broadcast television.
MPEG-4 (MP4) was defined using the standards for encoding video in a digital compressed format as specified by the Moving Picture Experts Group (MPEG). A set of audio and video perceptual coding formats, formally designated as ISO/IEC-14496, first published in 1998. MPEG-4 encompasses many of the features introduced in MPEG-1 and MPEG-2 and adds features useful for streaming media and broadcast, among others.
It is aimed at low bit-rate storage that will be useful for animated video sequences, other computer-generated imagery and games, whilst also having some compatibility with H.263.
MPEG-4 defines how multimedia streams - video, audio, text, data - are transmitted as individual objects. MPEG-4 is a compression/decompression technology that aims to achieve interactivity, efficiency and stability in narrow-band transmissions. (*)
photo: Portable MPEG - 4 Media Player, taken from lakewoodconferences
MP3
MP3 is slang for "MPEG Layer-3", and an acronym of MPEG-1 or MPEG-2 audio layer 3. MPEG stands for "Moving Picture Experts Group," and refers to the experts who developed MPEG - a set of industry standards for digitally encoding video and audio information.
The file extension for the audio layer (layer 3) of a MPEG file is MP3. This layer uses perceptual (what can be heard) audio coding and psychoacoustic compression to remove redundant or irrelevant sound signals.
MPEG-1 Audio Layer-3 is the compression scheme used to transfer audio files via the Internet and store in portable players and digital audio servers. MP3 is a compression algorithm developed by the Fraunhofer Institute in Germany and later standardised by the MPEG (Motion Picture Experts Group) that permits audio files to be highly compressed and yet retain excellent levels of quality.
It is capable of 10:1 compression with no noticeable loss in quality. MP3s have become a popular way to distribute CD quality music on the Internet. MP3s reduce unnecessary data that is imperceptible to the human ear.(*)
photo:mobilewhack
Just What is IT?
To start, let's break down the term "IT" into two parts: information and technology (the secret is revealed!). Information technology, or IT, exists throughout the world and it is define by the Information Technology Association of America (ITAA) as "the study, design, development, implementation, support or management of computer-based information systems, particularly software applications and computer hardware." So, what is IT? In short, it is nearly anything to do with computer or computer programs and applications.
Though the aforementioned definition is the purest one, the term IT has been used in many different ways recently. It seems as though every time you turn on a television, some infomercial is blaring about gaining a degree in information technology. Perhaps this is why this term now encompasses various aspects of the computer world. Today's professionals that work in this field deal with data management, networking, engineering, database design, software design, and various administrative tasks.
Still wondering about that earlier question (what is IT?). Well, don't worry, this term confuses a lot of people. The term is mostly confusing because it means everything to do with computers, though it can also mean nothing at all. The next time that someone tells you that they work in the information technology field, you can easily assume that they do something with computer communication and technology, though their specific job may be somewhat unclear.
The basic problem with a term such as IT is that when this term was coined, there really weren't a lot of people involved with this type of work. As the years progressed, information technology really began to expand, causing various organizations within the field to spring up (if for nothing else, to differentiate between the numerous branches). Currently, there are many different groups and organizations that all have something to do with this type of work, though the many different groups can become confusing.
Hopefully, you will have a better grasp on the earlier question (what is IT?) now that is has been, partially, explained. Although this field is somewhat confusing, those that work within the field are important to the current computer world. Can the term be summed up in one article? No, it cannot - this line of work is one of the vaguest out there, yet it is still vital to technology.(*)
source: EzineArticles
Blu-Ray Disc
Blu-ray, also known as Blu-ray Disc (BD) is the name of its next-generation optical disc format jointly developed by the Blu-ray Disc Association (BDA), a group of world leader electronics, personal computers and the media manufacturers (including Apple, Dell, Hitachi, HP, JVC, LG, Mitsubishi, Panasonic, Pioneer, Philips, Samsung, Sharp, Sony, TDK and Thomson).
The format was developed to enable recording, rewriting and playback of high-definition video (HD) as well as storing large amounts of data. The format offers more than five times the storage capacity of traditional DVDs and can hold up to 25GB.
Blu-ray is the next generation of digital video disc. It can record, store and play back high-definition video and digital audio and computer data. The advantage of Blu-ray is the large amount of information it can hold:
A single-layer Blu-ray, which is roughly the same size as a DVD can hold up to 27 gigabytes of data - which represents more than two hours of high-definition video, or about 13 hours of standard video .
A double-layer Blu-ray can store up to 50 GB, which helps hold approximately 4.5 hours of high-definition video or more than 20 hours of standard video. And there are even plans in the works to develop a disk with twice that amount of storage.
Source: White Paper: Blu-ray Disc Format
We invite you to learn more about the differences between Blu-ray and DVD in the next section.
Blu-ray is going to replace the previous DVD? Its manufacturers hoped. Meanwhile, JVC has developed a disc Blu-ray/DVD combo with an approximate 33.5-GB capacity, allowing the release of the video in two formats on a single disc. But Blu-ray is not alone in the market. Some other formats are competing for a share of the DVD market.
The other big player is HD-DVD, also called AOD (Advanced Optical Disc), which was developed by electronics giants Toshiba and NEC. HD-DVD was made in the work before the regular DVD, but it did not start real development until 2003.
The advantage of HD-DVD is that it uses the same format as traditional DVDs, and can therefore be manufactured with the same equipment, cost savings. HD-DVD is equivalent to the storage capacity of Blu-ray. A rewritable, single-layer HD-DVD can hold 15 gigabytes of data, double-layer disc can hold 30 GB and a triple-layer disc can hold 45 GB (that is, compared with 27 GB and 50 GB for the Blu - Ray). The read-only versions hold less data. Also, HD-DVD offers the interactive capabilities of Blu-ray, with HDi. (*)
LCD
LCD Display function, picture from geocities
LCD stands for Liquid Crystal Displays. It refers to a flat panel technology which uses liquid crystals sandwiched between two glass plates for example in laptop computers, other small portable displays and also in televisions. A type of display used in digital watches and many portable computers. LCD displays utilize two sheets of polarizing material with a liquid crystal solution between them.
LCDs are thin displays used for TV, computer monitors, wristwatches, digital thermometers, microwaves, digital signage, and countless other technologies -- possibly the most common and diverse electronic flat screen technology in use today.
This is a form of display that works by shining polarised light through a panel of liquid crystals. When a voltage is applied to the crystals, they twist and block out the light. An array of transistors and crystals can be used to produce a moving image.
LCD, one of the two most popular technologies behind flat panel televisions (the other being plasma). Liquid crystal display technology works by blocking light from a high intensity source in order to display a picture. A method of producing an image using electrically sensitive crystals suspended in a liquid medium. letter-quality printer.
LCD are usually found on most digital cameras to help the photographer preview the scene before taking the photograph, and then review that image later on after the photo was taken.(*)