Amazon’s Amazing Kindle eBook Reader

Amazon introduced the Kindle just about a year ago in November of 2007. Prior to its introduction, many companies had tried its hand at developing an eBook reader that people would actually use. For example, some of the earlier eBook readers were nothing more than dowloading text documents onto your PDA device: Palm, Blackberry and others.

However, advancements in technology, such as broadband and LCD contrast, in particular, have really accelerated the adoption of eBook readers. Adding to the allure of eBooks is the fact that there are so many titles available (200,000+). You’re sure to find thousands of hours of enjoyment.

Today, the resurgence of eBook readers is at an all-time high. Manufacturers of these devices are scrambling to keep up the success of the Amazon Kindle. Some of the top manufacturers, include: Sony’s Portable Reader, iRex Digital Reader, Jinke Electronics, Netronix, as well as the Amazon Kindle.

On a recent flight from San Francisco to Australia, we noticed at least five travelers with Amazon Kindles. If this is not a revolutionary transition, I don’t what is!

So, what makes the “Amazon Kindle” special? Earlier applications of eBook readers merely allowed one to look at text documents in the guise of “eBooks”. So, imagine downloading an “eBook” on your PDA and essentially reading a Word document, formatted into a book-like content structure. This limited the commercial use of the content to basically manuals and corporate documents.

Amazon took a giant leap forward by creating a product that physically looks like a book. But, even more importantly, the text looks much like a text printed on a physical book. The technology used is called E-Ink, which is very “easy on the eyes” visually . In addition, the Amazon Kindle has a high contrast screen which does a great job of simulating a printed page. Just like a printed book it is designed to be read under lighted conditions and can even be read under bright sunlight.

The next big leap for Amazon is how eBooks are distributed. Initally, Amazon had planned to distribute eBooks over WiFi, but that would require customers to find a WiFi hotspot. Eventually Amazon chose Sprint’s high speed EVDO network. So, customers can download eBooks anywhere that there is a cell phone connection. If the high speed EVDO network is not available, the Amazon Kindle switches back to the slower 1x speed.

One of the biggest selling points of the Amazon Kindle is the tremendous size of the library. At last count, Amazon has over 190,000 books, which includes New York Times Best Sellers. In addition to this, the top U.S. and international newspapers are available for download, as well, including: NY Times, Wall Street Journal, Frankfurter, Irish Times, etc. And finally, over 1,000 major blog sites are accessible, including Slashdot, TechCruch, ESPN and more.

All of these reasons and more are why Oprah Winfrey officially endorsed the “Amazon Kindle” in October of this year. She declared it as her favorite new gadget. She was also quoted as saying tha Amazon Kindle was ” life-changing for me” and “the wave of the future.”

Panasonic DMC FX500K Lumix 10.1 Digital Camera

Panasonic DMC-FX500K

Price $399.95, Discounted Price $269.99, You Save $129.96 with rebate

The Lumix DMC-FX500 is Panasonic’s first digital camera with a 3-inch touch-screen LCD, and also features a 25mm ultra-wide-angle Leica DC lens, 5x optical zoom and 10.1-megapixel resolution. With a dual control system using both touch-screen and joystick operation, the ability to record high-definition video and advanced Intelligent Auto technologies, the DMC-FX500 packs both innovative features and intuitive design.

The DMC-FX500 has a hybrid control system that combines joystick control with touch-screen operation, so users can make fine adjustments by touch, using their finger, or the included Lumix stylus-pen. In manual exposure mode, adjustments can be made using the on-screen sliders to adjust aperture and shutter speeds. You can also set the auto focus and exposure in frames by simply touching the subject, on screen, while recording. In playback mode, a new Easy Organization menu allows for photos to be selected and viewed by scrolling through the thumbnails located below the main window. Then, users can edit the titles using an on-screen keyboard.

Plus, with an ultra-wide-angle, 25mm lens, the DMC-FX500 can capture almost double the photo area at the same shooting distance compared with a conventional 35mm lens. Also new is Auto Focus (AF) tracking, a feature that tracks the photo subject even if it moves after the AF is set — especially helpful for catching active children or pets.

Panasonic’s iA (Intelligent Auto) mode is an advanced system of technologies that engage automatically, so the user does not have to change any settings. Maximizing the iA mode, users can go a step further and easily set auto focus and exposure by simply touching the screen. This kind of quick, easy operation is made possible with the touch-screen technology.

Click here to get the Panasonic DMC-FX500K digital camera.

http://coolthisyear.com/dmcfx500k

For Panasonic DMC FX500K reviews, read the comments below:

Toy Shopping

I can’t wait to go toy shopping for the holidays this year. It’s always fun, and it’s something that I look forward to. There is nothing more relaxing than looking for the perfect toys, and I always know I am going to find the very toys that my daughter seems to want the most. I know that if I can’t find it in one store, I will most definitely find it in the next one that I go to. When my daughter gets older and doesn’t want toys to play with any more, I am going to miss toy shopping very much.

If you didn’t read the sarcasm in what I just wrote, you must not have young children. I never had a problem when I would go toy shopping for a relative or a friend’s child, but now that I have my own I have learned to loathe the very thought of it. Toy stores seem to bring out the worst in people. I am often surprised at how rude people can be when toy shopping. It never fails either, that I find out the very toy my little girl wants the most is nowhere to be found.

Last year when we went toy shopping we were looking for the Dora Talking House. I thought Toys R Us would certainly have it, but I was wrong. We looked everywhere we could think and no one had one. I couldn’t believe it. It wasn’t even one of the most wanted toys that year. (This year, we’ll try Walmart first.) We panicked when we couldn’t find it, and I didn’t know what I was going to do. I don’t get her everything she wants, but I do try to get her the one thing that she wants the most, and last year it was the Dora house she wanted. In the end my dad went toy shopping and found it the day before Christmas. I was in tears when he told me he had found it for her.

If you loathe toy shopping like I do, you should try to get it done early, and if you can find something online, that might be the best way to buy it. If you go toy shopping on the day before Christmas, you are just asking for trouble. For me though, that is the best time. I have thought ahead this year and have gotten some of her presents early, but I will have to brave the crowds again this year at the last minute to get the rest of her gifts. Perhaps next year I will be able to get it all done early so I don’t have to be tempted to hurt someone.

Christmas Gifts for Men, Cool Suggestions

Buying presents for guys is never an easy task. Of course, many of us opt for the regular old stock of items that may or may not make a great splash. This year, why not take a different approach to choosing Christmas gifts for men? High tech gadgets are always winners as far as most men are concerned. Following are three outstanding ideas that make perfect Christmas gifts for men.

Professional guys may seem as if they are all work and no play. However, you can find great Christmas gifts for men that appeal to the working side as well as the playful side. Electronics offer wonderful options that allow a person to get in some quality relax time while on route to an important event.

A little downtime is always a good idea. It helps to keep the mind clear and the blood pressure down. One of the Christmas gifts for men that really stand out as a great way to get away from a stressful day at work is the portable DVD player. This device is perfect for the professional on the go.

Why tote around a laptop when you can take a break with a portable DVD player that is lightweight and convenient? This is one of my favorite Christmas presents for men that is just downright cool. If you know a professional on the move, you may want to look into this present.

How about a Flash Drive and MP3 Player combo? These Christmas gifts for men are winners each and every time. Skip the floppy discs and adopt a new way to transfer files from your laptop to your office computer. All this is available and music, too. How can you lose with this wining gift?

My last pick for Christmas gifts for men is the Video and MP3 Jukebox Recorder. This one hits a high note each and every time. Guys love that this unit stores pictures, plays videos and it can record up to 40 hours of video. This gadget is well-loved by teens and adults alike.

When it comes to Christmas gifts for men you can’t go wrong by going high tech. There are plenty of different options available for great presents for all the guys on your list. Whether you are shopping for a professional or a teen, there will be at least one great gift idea for you to consider.

Amazon Kindle Digital Book Reader

Amazon Kindle

Price $359.00, Free Shipping

The Amazon Kindle digital ebook reader is designed to be completely mobile and simple to use for everyone. No PC and no syncing is needed. Using the same 3G network as advanced cell phones, Amazon Kindle deliver your content using our own wireless delivery system, Amazon Whispernet. Unlike WiFi, you’ll never need to locate a hotspot. There are no confusing service plans, yearly contracts, or monthly wireless bills — Amazon Kindle take care of the hassles so you can just read.

And because we know you can’t judge a book by its cover, Amazon Kindle lets you download and read the beginning of books for free. This way, you can try it out—if you like it, simply buy and download with 1-Click, right from your Amazon Kindle, and continue reading. Want to try a newspaper as well? All newspaper subscriptions start with a risk-free two-week trial.

Amazon Kindle’s paperback size and expandable memory let you travel light with your library. With the freedom to download what you want, when you want, we hope you’ll never again find yourself stuck without a great read.

Click here to get the Amazon Kindle.

http://coolthisyear.com/kindle

Special note: The Kindle became cool this year after Oprah said on TV that the Kindle was one of her favorite things. Since Oprah spoke, Kindle has been flying off the shelves. You may very well find that Amazon is out of stock on the Kindle.

However, there is another option. Here is a site that gives you the Kindle for free if you answer a few survey questions. The site is at:

Free Kindle.

Good luck getting your Kindle, the cool digital book reader this year!

Nikon D90

The revolutionary,the  famous D90 from Nikon it’s the hottest digital SLR camera on the market today let me start to explain about this fantastic product, I personally like to use small words and easy sentences to brief the content.

Nikon announce the D90 on Aug-27-08 and the latest digital SLR camera with video clips yes you did hear me right the DSLR is capable of a movie recording 1280×720 @ (720p) 24fps (frame per second) just like the expensive 100k+ pro movie cams. the second highlight is live view through the 3″ 920,000pixel TFT-LCD screen awesome convenience.

Main features:

* CMOS sensor from the pro body D300 @ 12.9MP DX format

* Large 3″ 920,000pixel VGA 3x colors TFT-LCD

* Image sensor cleaning (sensor will shake to dust off any residue)

* LIVE VIEW with contrast-detect AF and Face detections

* ISO 200-3200 normal range and (100-6400) expanded as boost

* illuminations focus point very useful @ night 

* Continuous of 4.5 frame per second shooting mode (7raw, 25jpeg fine, 100jpeg normal)

* Expeed image processing engine 

* 11 point 3D tracking AF

* Direct extensive in-cam retouching include RAW development

* Optional GPS attachment through hot-shoe

Been said what’s all mean to my readers….

Now my expertise going to help any reader here, the Nikon D90 is a pro-consumer DSLR has the most professional features in a friendly user body with easy menu, what’s all translate to … and what this DSLR cam will do for me?

If you are an amateur or semi-pro this DSLR is a powerful machine what’s this cam shine in live view plus movie recorder so if any one shooting sports day or night you will have the options to shoot still or motion plus the Nikon nikkor lenses range to choose from that’s amazing pro-level in the palm of everyone and no more problem and dark images @ night by using fast glass or VR lenses(vibration reduction) with the outstanding 6400 ISO range dark images is things in the past.

For example shooting indoor sports or @ night this machine will shine crank the ISO to 3200 with or without flash with a fast lens such as 80-200mm 2.8 nikkor lens you will produce fantastic images @ pro-level and if anyone have questions how to set cam to the right setting this is the place to blog and answer anyone remark and questions, going back to ISO and if you’ll boost it to 6400 you still have 85% to 90% clean images and noise ratio accepted.

All DSLR cam out there has many things in comment but there is some who leave most of them behind when you need more advance features and the D90 will delivers.

Shooting in LIVE VIEW mode  now it’s easy just like you’re using a camcorder look @ the large TFT-LCD and track your object or subject and still click or video clip it isn’t amazing, still images at 12.9MP enough for a large poster enlargement and 24fps video clip 1270×720 VGA 3x colors HDMI.

Expeed image engine processor 12bit much faster buffer and conserving the pix qualities

Sensor self cleaning means guaranty every time spotless images and saving trip to your local photo store for sensor cleaning.

RGB 420 segment metering sensor means more complex metering for accuracy.

Oh the famous shutter speed that everyone is talking about (100k clicks tested)

Larger screen and upper info display.

Faster focus 11 point 3D tracking AF with face contrast detections what it mean… so let say we are shooting kids @ play they maybe staying still or sudden moving you’ll need the complex focus system because you don’t miss the moment it could be it, I mean that it pix could be the amazing image.

Another scenario wild life, sports, moving kids or people and that wedding will not wait for you so on the other hand you will be ready for it sharp like a pro.

I can keep talking about the D90 for hours, days and lots of pages however i want to be direct, short and precise.

In Bryan’s NIKON D90 blog corner taking on the revolutionary product and why I like it for all the reasons below in a consumer lingo’s……..

For example I’ am  a pro-photographer i shoot anything from weddings, fashion, portraits, wild life, sports and freelance for journalism . I use NIKON and CANON product from a wide range of indoor and outdoor equipments what the D90 will do for me that other product won’t do:

All my cams (Nikons and Canons) are fast focusing, sharp, and pro-result. the D90 will leave some of my other cams behind in live mode plus video clips , i have 2 40D canon with live view but no videos, TFT-LCD 3″ 230,000 pixel from canon vs TFT-LCD 920,00 pixel from D90 means more detail and vibe crisp images display. 

ISO 3200 standard on the D90 vs 800 0n my 2 d2xs nikon bodys and 1600 iso  0n my 2 D200 bodys vs 1600 iso on my 2 40D CANON means more light sensitive for night or day with much faster shutter speed.

Let me take on these 2 quick subject above at any circumstance or situation you’ll find yourseld in need for much faster shutter speed and you only have a standard lens such as 18-200mm 3.5-5.6 VR nikon lens or 18-135mm 3.5-5.6 nikkor DX lens and the available light not enough for a 100 ISO and you also need about 125/s 160/s second shutter  or up to 1/4000 s what you can do in this situation you can crank your ISO with confidence  all the way to 3200 and watch you result you’ll be happy this is the case for wild life in the shade or indoor shooting or sports event prohibit any use of flash.

Most people and consumers will be mistaking, thinking that higher ISO only for night usage, allow me  to tell you, journalism uses much more higher ISO in the day time up to 6400 iso don’t be afraid to go out there and experience you new cam with different setting and sometime try 400 iso in the day with manual program or (P) priority it will allow you to use your normal lens to act faster for example in full day light the measurements will be like 1/250s f11 @100 iso now try to play a little with ISO to 400 and 640 and increase your shutter speed accordingly, images will be more steady and blurless much more sharper.

Like I was telling you we can jump from one topic to another and I have so much to say about this fantastic product that’s why this will be as a blog and updated frequently to all the questions and consumers remarks.

The only reason that I can’t call the D90 a pro-cam cause you have the D300 pro body from NIKON:

                                             D90                                                          D300

Max resolution	4288 x 2848	4288 x 2848
Low resolution	3216 x 2136, 2144 x 1424	3216 x 2136, 2144 x 1424
Image ratio w:h	3:2	3:2
Effective pixels	12.3 million	12.3 million
Sensor photo detectors	12.9 million	13.1 million
Sensor size	23.6 x 15.8 mm (3.72 cm²)	23.6 x 15.8 mm (3.72 cm²)
Pixel density	3.3 MP/cm²	3.3 MP/cm²
Sensor type	CMOS	CMOS
Sensor manufacturer	Unknown	Sony
ISO rating	Auto, 200 – 3200 (plus 6400 with boost)	200 – 3200 in 1, 1/2 or 1/3 EV steps (100 – 6400 with boost)
Zoom wide (W)
Zoom tele (T)
Digital zoom	No	No
Image stabilization	No	No
Auto Focus	Nikon Multi-CAM1000	Nikon Multi-CAM3500 DX
Manual Focus	Yes	Yes
Normal focus range
Macro focus range
White balance override	12 positions, 5 manual preset and Kelvin	6 positions, plus manual preset and Kelvin
Aperture range
Min shutter	30 sec	30 sec
Max shutter	1/4000 sec	1/8000 sec
Built-in Flash	Yes, pop-up	Yes, pop-up
Flash range	17 m	12 m
External flash	Yes, hot-shoe	Yes, hot-shoe plus sync connector
Flash modes	Front curtain, Rear curtain, Red-Eye, Slow, Red-Eye Slow	Front curtain, Rear curtain, Red-Eye, Slow, Red-Eye Slow
Exposure compensation	-5 to +5 EV in 1/2 or 1/3 EV steps	-5 to +5 EV in 1/2 or 1/3 EV steps
Metering	3D Matrix metering II, Center weighted, Spot	3D Matrix metering II, Center weighted, Spot
Aperture priority	Yes	Yes
Shutter priority	Yes	Yes
Focal length multiplier	1.5	1.5
Lens thread	Nikkor AF / F-mount, D-Type	Nikkor AF / F-mount, D-Type
Continuous Drive	Yes, 4.5 fps(CH) or 1-4 fps(CL)	Yes, 6 fps, 100 JPEG / ?? RAW
Movie Clips	Yes	No
Remote control	Yes, Optional (ML-L3 or MC-DC2)	Yes, Optional
Self-timer	Yes, 2, 5, 10 or 20 sec	Yes, 2 to 20 sec
Timelapse recording	No	Yes
Orientation sensor	Yes	Yes
Storage types	SD/SDHC card	Compact Flash (Type I or II)
Storage included	None	None
Uncompressed format	Yes, RAW	Yes, RAW, TIFF
Quality Levels	Fine, Normal, Basic	Fine, Normal, Basic
Viewfinder	Optical (Pentaprism, 96% coverage, 0.96x magnification)	Optical (Pentaprism, 100% coverage, 0.94x magnification)
LCD	3 “	3 “
LCD Dots	920,000	922,000
Live View	Yes	Yes
USB	USB 2.0 (480Mbit/sec)	USB 2.0 (480Mbit/sec)
HDMI	Yes	Yes
Wireless	No	No
Environmentally sealed	No	No
Battery	Nikon EN-EL3e Lithium-Ion battery	Nikon EN-EL3e Lithium-Ion battery
Weight (inc. batteries)	703 g (24.8 oz)	925 g (32.6 oz)
Dimensions	132 x 103 x 77 mm (5.2 x 4.1 x 3 in)	147 x 114 x 74 mm (5.8 x 4.5 x 2.9 in)
Notes	Live view available, HDMI	Live view available

Bla bla bla I know it’s technical stuff again but from there when I can take on the content let me simplify:

Same sensor size, quality, same ISO’s D90 has multi-cam1000 vs 3500 DX in auto focus and 1/4000s vs 1/8000s shutter speed, CF card vs SD media, RGB 420 segment metering sensor vs 1005-pixel metering sensor, 11 point vs 51 point areas of focusing, view finder 96% vs 100% viewable and the D300 has a sealed buttons and body against dust, moisture, however the D90 have video clip that the D300 don’t, price tag of $950 vs $1550 new, now you can buy it good use conditions online.

COOL THIS YEAR and I like the NIKON D90 and my take on this amazing, fantastic, revolutionized digital photography and made it so easy to use so anyone can produce a pro-level images.

Final words on the NIKON D90 is the best compact pro-consumer features DSLR camera is out there today, looking forward to hear from your D90 experience and samples, remarks and questions.

Bryan Asmar ProShot_Studio.

Digital Photo Sharing

I hate to brag, but I was using digital cameras long before they were cool. Back in the day, resolution was low unless you were willing to spend a lot of money. Once you took your photos, things were even more bleak. Printing digital photos was expensive, and getting high quality printers was out of the question for most consumers. The only real way to share digital photos was by uploading online. Because most people were using dial-up, you had to load all of your photos onto a site where other people would have to download them at a painfully slow speed if they wanted to view them.

Nowadays, even cheap digital cameras are much more powerful than what I was using when I was first getting started. Digital photo sharing has also gotten a lot more powerful. It still amazes me to be able to open up a website and see high a quality digital photo suddenly appear on the page with no effort on my part. I don’t have to spend 5 minutes, 10 minutes, or longer downloading it anymore. It is simply there for me to see. Digital photos sharing sites have gotten pretty sophisticated in their interface as well. There are so many different ways to organize your digital images online that designing a webpage has become half of the art itself!

Recently, I have made use of many different digital photo sharing sites. Perhaps the easiest one to use is MySpace. A lot of people don’t really think of it as a digital photo sharing site, as this is not its primary purpose. Nonetheless, it works quite well for this anyway. You can put dozens of pictures on your MySpace page, and your friends can see thumbnails of them and download any that they wish to.

Of course, if you have a lot of images to share, you should probably find a more dedicated digital photo sharing site. All of these sites will allow you to show dozens, or even hundreds of images, but some of them have other nifty features as well. For example, some of them allow you to connect your pictures to a map of the world, text bubbles, or various websites as you see fit. Other ones allow you to give out a free trial image, but make a more high quality image available for purchase. Of course, other Digital photo sharing sites stand out for being extremely easy to use. If your parents are like mine, those are the best sites to put family photos on.

Kodak SV811 8-Inch Digital Picture Frame

Kodak SV811

Price $179.99, Discounted Price $107.95, You Save $72.04

Kodak’s legendary “Easy Share” label acquires new meaning with the superb Easyshare SV-811 digital photo frame. This is truly the total solution to framing and bringing hundreds of favorite pictures to life. For openers the format is a large 8″ – so no more squinting. This frame is equipped with built-in speakers, 128 MB of memory and an SD slot for further storage capacity. What this means is you can view pictures, slide shows and videos right out of the box; and play/add MP3 files for your personal soundtrack. You can program this Easyshare SV-811 digital photo frame to be on or off per your schedule. A remote control puts you in charge no matter where you’re sitting. Pictbridge and drag-and-drop make loading and transferring snapshots a snap. Since everyone needs a digital frame after the holidays, now’s the time to make a snap decision.

Click here to get the Kodak SV811.

http://coolthisyear.com/sv811

Online Gift Shopping Addiction

I am definitely an avid Internet shopper. If it weren’t for the fact that I make a comfortable living, I would say that it bordered on an addiction. With all kinds of interesting products from all over the world just a few clicks away, it is hard not to get addicted to exploring all of the varied goods that the Internet has to offer.

One of the reasons I like online gift shopping so much is that it allows me to indulge my passion for shopping online without feeling too guilty about it. Most of my friends are not that traveled, cultured, or Web savvy, so I can always surprise them with the neat and unusual things that I manage to find online. I let other people go down to the local bookstore and buy the latest new release – I would always rather do something fanciful like find a collectible camera on eBay or a handwoven rug from Guatemala. Although it can be hard to match such exotic choices with the tastes that my friends have, usually I can come up with a pretty good match.

Of course, there are other, more practical ways to buy gifts online. A lot of the most devoted fans of online gift shopping use it as a way to get bargains, rather than a means to find rare and exotic presents. Amazon, of course, is a great way to get good deals, but there are many other sites as well. You can get wholesale gifts at places like Deep Discount DVD and eBay, if you are willing to keep an eye out for sales and rare bargains. It is all a matter of how deeply you are willing to look. If you really put some effort into finding the very best deals in online gift shopping, the sky is the limit!

When you are online gift shopping, it is important to use common sense. Although you can shop at the last minutes from the big commercial vendors, you need to leave a little bit more time if you are using a less dependable shipper. Different vendors on eBay have different procedures, and some of them are a lot more reliable than others. Until you really know who you are dealing with, it can’t hurt to leave a little bit of extra time. After all, there is no bigger disappointment than not having the gift in time for whatever special event you are shopping for.

Cobra NAV One 5000 5-Inch GPS with Bluetooth

Cobra NAVONE5000

Price $529.90, Discounted Price $194.95, You Save $334.95, Plus Free Shipping

The Cobra NAV ONE 5000 is the next generation of portable, plug-and-go GPS navigation. The the Cobra NAV ONE 5000 combines effortless technology and features, all in a compact, portable design. The device includes an award winning, easy-to-use screen design with the exclusive My Favorite Brands feature, which provides more than 600 brands accessible at the touch of a button. In addition, Cobra’s patent-pending Compare Routes feature allows the driver to choose from two on-screen routing options to navigate around the traffic. The new, slim compact design features and easy to read 5.0″ display with a highly rated, state-of-the-art user interface.

Click here to get the Cobra NAVONE5000.

http://coolthisyear.com/navone5000

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