Choosing the best compact camera has become an increasingly complicated task over the last few years, thanks to the ever increasing size of the digital camera market. In particular, if you are new to photography and digital cameras, deciding just what constitutes the best compact camera can seem an impossible task, what with the range of choice now available.

As with most technology, the best way to narrow the field of choice is to focus on the features and functions that you personally require. Unlike shopping for most items, a limited budget can actually be of help in identifying viable options.

Before we look at the technical specifications to focus on when you are searching for the best compact camera for you and your needs, try taking a look at the range supplied by currys.co.uk, to get a rough idea of price ranges.

The first point to think about carefully is what kind of pictures you plan to take with the camera.  You are no doubt thinking about compact cameras because you want an easily portable piece of equipment.  If you are simply looking for something with which to take quick holiday snaps, without spending time setting up the shot (or in other words, a point and click) the compact camera category is the right place to look.

However, if you are perhaps interested in getting a bit more serious about photography, and want more control over different settings before taking pictures, you may be looking for the manual controls that you will find in bridge cameras.  Bridge cameras, as you might have guessed, are a middle step between point and click compact cameras, and full size digital SLRs.  While not as bulky (or in general, expensive) as a digital SLR, bridge cameras offer many more manual control options than compact cameras.

Now for a brief look at some of the key features of compact, and indeed all digital cameras.  Resolution is expressed in mega pixels (Mp), and the higher the number, the smaller the pixels.  The most important point is not to get fixated on finding the highest number of megapixels for your money, as this does not necessarily mean higher quality pictures.  More megapixels simple means that you can blow the pictures up larger, without starting to get a loss of definition.  For example, if you plan to make 6 x 4 inch prints of your photos, a mere 2.2MP will do the job adequately, while larger 10 x 8 inch prints will require a 7.2MP image.  Unless you are looking to print large poster sized images for your walls, you don’t really need a 14 MP camera.

Picture quality is all about how good the lens is, and the size of the image sensing chip.  Since the lens is the camera’s eye, it is not difficult to work out that a better quality lens can make a big difference, so that a low megapixel compact camera with a good lens will outperform a higher mega pixel camera with an inferior lens.  After the lens, the image sensing chip is the next most important specification – the larger this sensor, the better the picture (which is why large digital SLRs take better pictures that compact cameras).

Designed for the T-Mobile 4G network is this Samsung Vibrant 4G, a Galaxy S phone. This smartphone sports a 4 inch screen and is powered by Android 2.2 (Froyo). There’s a 5MP rear camera and a front camera for video chats. Let’s get to the details.

Hardware

Inside the Vibrant 4G Galaxy S is a 1 GHz Samsung Hummingbird processor. There is just 1GB of internal memory but there is an included 16GB microSD memory card or you can upgrade to a 32GB card.

Software

The Samsung Vibrant 4G is powered by Android 2.2 which means you have multi-tasking, flash support, integrated google technology as well as all of the apps you can handle in the Android marketplace to personalize your smartphone.

Connectivity

Fast 4G speeds on T-Mobile’s network, which falls back to 3G if not available. The Vibrant 4G has wifi networking and the ability to share its 3G/4G internet connection with other laptops.

Camera

The rear camera is 5 megapixels with 4x digital zoom. There is a front facing camera for video chats on Qik or Skype. The rear camera also can shoot 720p HD videos.

Physical Specs

Physically the Vibrant 4G has a vibrant 4 inch AMOLED touchscreen display. It weighs in at 4.2 oz and measures 4.8 inches tall, 2.5 inches wide and is 0.4 inches thick. The battery is a 1650 mAh lithium-ion battery which will last you six and a half hours of talk time or about 18 days of standby time.

More Pictures Of The Samsung Vibrant 4G

Across the world, children are making their lists for Christmas. Tech gadgets always appear at the top as youngsters ask Santa for the latest device to play with on Christmas morning. This year, the iPhone 4S has proved to be at the top of the list sharing space with the iPad 2 and edging out Amazon’s Kindle.

The Sodahead website, which sets questions for its users and also allows visitors to the website to pose questions about practice and behavior to other users, asked people to say what gifts they wanted to receive this Christmas. Although some said they hadn’t decided yet, over a fifth said they wanted a tech gadget and of those, nearly 40% said they wanted an iPhone 4S. Coming in second place with 31% was the iPad 2 and the new Kindle Fire got 17% of the vote.

Another survey in the UK has reiterated the popularity of the Apple device on Christmas lists. The shopping website Vouchercodes.co.uk asked users what they wanted Santa to bring them this year. In this survey the iPhone 4S was edged out slightly by the iPad 2, pushing it into second place, but it suggests that the California tech giant should prepare for a bumper Christmas. Experts have said the average budget for Christmas this year is just under £700.

In the US, another poll put Apple in the 1, 2 and 3 spot. The iPad was the most desired device, gaining 44% of the vote conducted by Nielsen asking children aged 6 to 12 what they wanted for Christmas. The iPod Touch came in second with 30% and the iPhone 4S came third. Nielsen surveyed over 3,000 children.

The popularity of the iPhone 4S after its launch in October, where 4 million handsets were sold in its first three days in stores, is making some at Apple think they should be getting ready for devices to fly off the shelves as families buy Christmas presents. Every year new mobile phones prove to be a popular gift at Christmas, particularly as you can get many contracts with free gifts, and give the gift to someone else as a present too. With gifts like Playstations and hair straighteners on offer, this can greatly reduce the amount of Christmas shopping people need to do.

Analysts suggest it is the ubiquity of the Apple brand that makes it attractive. The ability of Apple devices to crossover practice, so attracting gamers as well as music fans, to be able to keep people in touch via social networking and to be a browser in their pocket makes many think that buying one device, rather than several who offer different services, is more cost-effective. Apple has spent much of its focus on attracting gamers over the past few years, particularly in the US. The iPod Touch was sold as a gaming device with Apple calling it the funnest ever.

For the iPhone 4S is shows the new device has already hit the top of the Apple wish lists. The iPad topped polls last year but that it is being edged out by the new iPhone 4S suggests features like the improved 8 megapixel camera, integrated iOS5, dual core processor as well as features like Siri and the iCloud are making it a much more popular choice. There have been predictions that the iPhone 4S could top 27 million sales by the end of December. The holiday season, as well as the all-important Black Friday in the US retail market make the next six weeks vital if Apple is to break even more records in the smartphone market in 2011.

The Flip digital video camera is known as the world’s simplest HD camcorder. Who could have imagined that you could record 2 hours worth of 720p HD video on a device that fits in the palm of your hand. That’s what we get with the 3rd generation 8GB model of this Flip Ultra HD camcorder.

The Flip UltraHD is slimmer than ever, measuring 2.2 inches wide, 4.2 inches tall and is 1.2 inches thick. You can slip it in your pocket and carry it anywhere since it fits nicely and only weighs 5.6 ounces.

As far as video quality goes, the Flip Ultra HD 3rd gen shoots videos in 16:9 widescreen, 720p high definition (1280 x 720) at 60 fps, an improvement over the previous 30 frames per second version. One of the larger complaints with the previous Flip cams was the shaky footage that emerges. But this 3rd generation model comes with image stabilization which in the end results in a better video.

The flip out usb port adds the convenience of not needing a wire, you just plug the flip cam right into your computer to get your video out or to use the software to edit and share your videos.

Included with the package is the Flip UltraHD video camera, a rechargeable battery pack, wrist strap, soft protective case and a user guide.

Now here are some additional product images.

As we’re all aware, there are televisions where we watch local programming as well as cable TV shows which are viewable on your television. This massive amount of content is also available online as well as content produced solely for the web which are viewable on your computer. It is only natural to combine the two and convert your television into a “home theater pc”.

That’s where the Boxee comes into play. This service aims to bring video content found on the web to your television without the need of a computer, keyboard and mouse. This concept is relatively new but all signs point to this becoming the future of television. Gone will be the cable and satellite providers. Television will become personalized. You can watch what you want, when you want.

It sounds great, right? But there is a downside right now. The downside is that you can’t watch live TV which is a big disappointment since you can’t follow your favorite basketball team, watch the big fight or catch some games on NFL Sunday. You also can’t follow shows like Dancing With The Stars or American Idol or late night shows like Conan or Jimmy Kimmel until it’s available online.

The good thing about Boxee is that there is no monthly fee. Now I know you don’t need a Boxee to watch web content on your TV, you can just connect your computer to your TV with the appropriate cables to do that. But what Boxee does is categorize things for you to make it easy for you to find your favorite shows and share it with your social network. That’s simplicity for you.

To make the Boxee work you plug it into the wall, then plug in an HDMI cable from the Boxee to your HDTV. That’s about it. When you buy the Boxee Box by D-Link you’ll also get an HDMI cable, a power adapter and a remote control with a full qwerty keyboard on it. Now enjoy some pictures of the product.

The desktop computer user, or someone with a TV/PC monitor setup, are only as mobile as their peripherals allow. Wireless technology comes in handy for those who want to be able to access their email and what-not from the couch as well as the desk. The latest innovation in wireless keyboards comes from Logitech in the form of their $67.00 K750 Solar Power model. While initially suspicious of the role and reliability of solar powered peripherals in indoor computer use, it was soon discovered that the K750 is not only reliable, it’s durable and comfortable too.

Before even getting into the business of the keyboard itself and the dependability of solar energy, it’s worth noting that the Logitech USB Nano Receiver for the K750 is of their Unifying variety. That means your Logitech wireless mouse can be channeled through it as well, so you’re not crowding your computer’s ports.

The thinness of the solar keyboard, at about one-third of an inch, is misleading when it comes to the K750′s durability. The firm deeply curved matte black keys play well on the glossy black plastic top, and yet despite the inexpensive materials and low weight, it handles drops without a problem. Finding a fully functional K750 on the tail end of five years of rugged use wouldn’t surprise me.

Now onto the good stuff. The solar panels are located at the top of the keyboard, separated into two sections on either side of the Logitech logo. Despite your memories of solar powered calculators from childhood that faded away the minute the lights went out, these seemingly small panels power this keyboard well into the night, holding a charge of over eight hours. The light source was one-window lighting on an overcast day. Logitech technical support services have likely seen a significant drop in calls from customers confounded by the inability to plug in a flash drive when wirelessly accessing their interface.

The bottom line: The Logitech K750 Solar Wireless Keyboard‘s $67.00 will surely be cheaper than the battery costs of another wireless keyboard with an identical lifespan. It’s well worth the price if you’re interested in a little innovation.

Last month HP announced a massive price drop on their HP Touchpad tablet. This created madness that created a Black Friday-like atmosphere around retailers who had the item in stock. One day, nobody wanted one. The next, everyone was trying to nab one. The lucky ones nabbed the 16 GB model for just $99.99. Quite the drastic drop from its original $499.99 retail value.

The reason why HP canned the HP Touchpad was due to low sales. These low sales were because this tablet should have never been priced at $499.99. That’s what the Apple iPad 2 and the Samsung Galaxy cost. Those came with iOS and Android, respectively. The HP Touchpad had the app-less webOS. What the frenzied sales showed was, if anything, that HP didn’t create an inferior product, it just priced it wrong.

The price drop of the HP Touchpad will have a few aftershocks. It will make the HP Touchpad the best selling tablet of 2011, bypassing the iPad 2 and the Samsung Galaxy. Albeit at the cost of losing millions of dollars. But at least it’s one year of toppling the tablet giants.

The HP price drop also created a market for webOS. One of the reasons why the HP Touchpad didn’t sell well was because of a lack of app support. Developers created apps for Apple and for Android, but not for HP. The webOS operating system just didn’t have enough people using it. Well that all has changed now hasn’t it? HP will now license out webOS to other companies to use on their devices. That is where HP will make their money now.

While HP will not make a profit on any of its HP Touchpads, it will however benefit from the sale of accessories. Some accessories sell for upwards of 50 and 60 dollars. Some users may have opted to get insurance on the product. And yet others may enjoy their HP Touchpads so much they could just buy an HP laptop next. Those users who love the webOS operating system may end up buying a phone or tablet in the future that comes with webOS too. So while it seems that HP was lost its mind, there may indeed be a method to this madness.

Gaming laptops cost a lot of money, but if you are a serious gamer the end result is worth it. Converting your current computer into a full blown gaming system requires a lot of knowledge, countless hours researching and setting it up and of course money.

When it comes to gaming, you could be a serious PC gamer and play on your laptop / desktop. You could also use consoles instead. Popular ones include the Playstation and XBox. The problems with those devices is that they cost hundreds upon hundreds of dollars. Not only that but you’ll need to upgrade it every couple of years in order to play the latest games smoothly and access the newer features.

For that reason PC gaming is popular. It costs far less to upgrade your own personal computer than to continue buying gaming systems. To have a powerful gaming PC you’ll need to make sure you already have a fast enough processor. You’ll need to beef up your RAM (not difficult or expensive to do) and then you’ll need to add a powerful video gaming card.

Ultimately it’s up to you and your wallet what you decide to do. But if you’re noticing your laptop is having trouble viewing the gaming graphics smoothly you’re probably going to need an upgrade soon.

This has been a sponsored post by gaming computers.

The HP TouchPad is a tablet from Hewlett Packard that is a direct competitor to the iPad 2. But will their relatively new webOS be able to compete with iOS and Android? That question remains up in the air, but for now let’s get an in depth look at the HP TouchPad.

The first thing you notice is the screen, which is 9.7 inches with a 1024×768 resolution display. In the front there is also a front facing 1.3 megapixel webcam ideal for live video calling. The HP Touchpad stands 9.45 inches tall, is 7.48 inches wide and has a thickness of 0.54 inches. It weighs in at 1.6 pounds.

The HP Touchpad has a 1.2GHz dual core processor, 512MB of RAM and as for hard drive space, two options are available, a 16GB and a 32GB model. The HP WebOS 3.0 operating system allows you to multitask so you can seamlessly play a game, pause it, reply to an email, then go back to playing without missing a beat. While you obviously can’t get apps from Apple’s app store nor the Android market, the HP webOS app catalog does have thousands of apps available, from Angry Birds to Time to Facebook and more.

A feature I enjoyed learning about was their Touchstone technology which allows you to share a URL from your HP Pre by tapping it with the Touchpad so you can continue reading it on a larger screen (or vice versa to take it on the go).

A nifty accessory is the Touchstone for the Touchpad, which is a wireless charging dock. You just rest the device on it and it will charge. Another accessory that is available is the custom lightweight case that is also a stand for your Touchpad so you can type or watch videos at an angle. There is also an ultraslim, ultracompact wireless bluetooth keyboard available.

Ready for some more pictures of the HP TouchPad?

Here’s the rundown on the highly popular, stylish and pricey ($129.99) Jawbone ERA bluetooth headset made by Aliph. Let’s get right to the specs on this stunning bluetooth headset.

Ultimately you want your headset to allow you to hear in any circumstance. So the Jawbone Era comes equipped with Noise Assassin 3.0 which is their military grade noise and wind canceling technology that was originally developed for use by helicopter pilots and tank commanders. This technology eliminates background noise and auto adjusts the call volume based on your current surrounding environment. But it’s not just that you can hear, it’s how good you hear it. The Jawbone Era has a powerful 10mm wideband speaker with HD quality sound.

The Jawbone Era comes with MotionX technology which enables motion control. You can shake your headset into pairing mode or tap on it to answer phone calls.

When you log in to MyTalk (at mytalk.jawbone.com) and sync your jawbone you can set up caller ID among other options. This way you’ll know who’s calling you without even needing to look at your phone.

You can keep tabs on your battery level easily with the Jawbone ERA. With an iPhone or Blackberry you can actually monitor the battery life levels right on your phone in the status bar. You can also hit the talk button on your headset to get a verbal update. Finally you can also hear a reminder when your battery level is low. The battery lasts longer than any previous Jawbone headset, a whopping 5 and a half hours of continuous use or 10 days of standby time. For most people this means you can use it off and on all day without needing to recharge it.

Size-wise the Aliph Jawbone Set measures 2.02″ x 0.57″ x 0.95″ (length x width x height in inches) and it weighs 10.2 grams.

Now for some more shots of this beautiful Aliph Jawbone Era bluetooth headset.