ADOBE SEES THE LIGHT
Adobe Photoshop is the gold standard of image manipulation. But trying anything beyond the basics sets off a blind panic among many amateur photographers and even many pros.
Adobe has just released a public beta test of Lightroom 3. The downloadable software is free from Adobe, at
bit.ly/28oABi, for the duration of the test. Afterward, the software will probably cost US$299, the price of the current version.
The difference between Lightroom and Photoshop is that Lightroom is aimed at helping photographers — not graphic designers — import, manage, enhance and share images. Another distinction is that Lightroom is much more intuitive to use. Yet it’s packed with robust features.
The software includes new capabilities to publish and dynamically change photos on Flickr. Users can access their online accounts from within Lightroom and can drag and drop images directly into their Flickr photostream.
It also adds new watermarking capabilities that enable photographers to embed text or graphic information directly on an image and then adjust the size, position and opacity.
One glaring omission from Lightroom 3 is video-editing capabilities. Adobe says this version will handle photos only.
THE THIRD DIMENSION ARRIVES ON LAPTOPS
Theaters now regularly show 3D movies, with meatballs and ghosts popping off the screen, and companies in Japan and South Korea are starting to sell 3D TVs for the living room. And now a third screen is going 3D: the laptop’s.
Acer, the Taiwanese PC maker, has introduced a full-size laptop, the Acer 5738DG, that shows off 3D content like movies or games. Just put on a pair of those strange wraparound glasses like the ones you get in theaters. A pair is packed with the computer.
It may be a novelty, but differentiation is the name of the PC game, and Acer, which recently became the world’s second largest PC seller after Hewlett-Packard, is seeking new gains. The US$780 Acer laptop with its TriDef 3D package includes a specially coated 15-inch screen and software to create the illusion of depth. The TriDef application also converts old-fashioned 2D into 3D in games and other applications supporting Microsoft’s DirectX 9 (and above) software. It is being sold with 4 gigabytes of system memory and a 320-gigabyte hard drive.
And yes, it comes with Windows 7.
A PREMIUM VERSION OF A POPULAR MINI CAMCORDER
The maker of the popular Flip pocket camcorders has added a premium US$230 MinoHD (second edition) that’s packaged in a brushed-metal case with rounded corners and offers twice the recording time and a slightly wider LCD screen than its predecessor.
That’s not a radical departure from the previous MinoHD, now priced at US$200, but if you’re planning to buy a Flip, the 8 gigabytes of on-board memory (versus 4 gigabytes on the standard MinoHD) is probably worth the additional US$30.
And while the pocketable MinoHD is enormously fun and ridiculously simple to use, it would have been more tempting had its resolution been raised from 720p (1280 x 720) to the higher-definition 1080p (1920 x 1280), which is available on Kodak’s US$180 Zi8.
The new MinoHD can store two hours of 720p footage at 30 frames a second. The case is notably slicker than its predecessor. The new model also has a larger 2-inch anti-glare LCD with an improved resolution of 960 by 240 pixels. It adds a mini-HDMI connector that will enable you to connect the device to your high-definition TV.
LATEST NIKON D3 UPGRADES FEATURES
Last month, Nikon took the wraps off a follow-up to the pro-level D3 DSLR with a new model that features advanced ISO and noise-handling capabilities for better low-light photography, as well as a high-definition movie mode.
The new D3s, a 12.1-megapixel camera with a body-only price of US$5,200 (that figure will stop most of you here), builds on the platform of the D3.
With a redesigned full-frame CMOS sensor and expanded ISO settings up to 12,800 (and a whopping 102,400 ISO using “expanded sensitivity” settings), it should excel in low-light photography.
To keep that sensor spiffy, Nikon has added an automatic sensor-cleaning capability.
As for movie clips, the D3s has a movie mode that captures video in 720p resolution at 24 frames a second in full manual mode, meaning you can set the aperture and also underexpose or overexpose scenes if you like.
Interested? You have about a couple of weeks to save up. The D3s will be available later this month.
A MORE AFFORDABLE WAY TO FILL A HOUSE WITH SOUND
In its five years of existence, Sonos has acquired an enthusiastic following of music lovers, keen on the idea of streaming their PC-based music collections to Sonos units set up throughout the house.
But such a system has never been cheap. To set up Sonos in just two rooms costs US$1,149, including one set of speakers.
The Sonos ZonePlayer S5, available from last month, is a remedy to that problem: This all-in-one device receives PC and Internet music wirelessly and is controlled with an iPhone or iPod Touch. Each unit costs US$399.
The S5 is like an iPod sound dock on steroids; rather than sticking the iPhone on the unit as you would an iPod, you use it to control the various S5 units in your home. And that’s a smart idea, because a dock is probably the last place you want to leave your cell phone.
Years ago, multiroom audio was the stuff of Champagne wishes and caviar dreams. And even until recently, it was still an expensive proposition. Breaking the US$1,000 barrier is a welcome development.
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