A CAMERA WITH A GPS SENSOR AND AN ETHERNET PORT
Nikon’s unique Coolpix P6000 point-and-shoot camera has a few odd tricks up its sleeve. Globetrotters will enjoy the P6000’s built-in Global Positioning System sensor for geo-tagging — or adding geographical information to photos — and Luddites will love the camera’s built-in Ethernet port.
While most camera makers use Bluetooth or Wi-Fi for uploading images to Web sites, Nikon has added a full-size Ethernet port that allows you to plug the camera right into the Internet. The P6000 uploads images whenever it is connected. While that may seem odd, the feature could come in handy in cybercafes or hotels where Wi-Fi is not available.
The GPS feature adds geographical data to every photo, but it can be turned off to conserve battery life.
The camera has a 4x optical zoom lens and a 13.5-megapixel sensor. It takes photos in JPEG or RAW format. At 241g, it is a bit heavier than the average point-and-shoot camera, and it is made of magnesium alloy for ruggedness. It supports light sensitivity up to ISO 6400 and accepts SD and SDHC storage cards. The camera also includes 48 megabytes of built-in storage.
A GREEN PC THAT’S EASIER ON THE ELECTRIC BILL. THE BAMBOO CASE IS OPTIONAL
Those of us who pay lip service to green living can now be more genuinely PC — with the Dell Studio Hybrid PC, a fashionably curvy computer with special power-saving features.
The PC, which starts at US$500, weighs about 1.8kg and is about 20cm wide. Dell says it uses 70 percent less electricity than a standard PC, yet it is still powerful enough to run Windows Vista. Inside are a low-power Intel Pentium Dual Core processor, 4 gigabytes of memory and a 320-gigabyte hard drive.
The Hybrid, available now at dell.com, includes a CD/DVD writer and can read Blu-ray discs with an optional upgrade. Another option is a TV tuner that lets you watch television on the PC.
The computer includes a removable case that comes in six translucent colors. While the internal parts of this PC are still made of plastic, metal and silicon, Dell also offers a case in a bamboo finish for the ultimate in eco-friendly style.
STYLISH (AND WIRELESS) WAY TO DISPLAY DIGITAL PHOTOS
Most people tend to notice the pictures and ignore the frame. But a digital photo frame by the French interior designer Andree Putman may upstage your vacation shots. She designed it for Parrot, a Paris-based company specializing in wireless and mobile-technology products.
Putman’s trademark minimalist style surrounds a 7-inch LCD screen with a resolution of 720 pixels by 480 pixels. The frame has a Bluetooth chip to wirelessly copy photos from Bluetooth-enabled mobile phones and computers; it does not support Wi-Fi connections. There is a slot for camera memory cards and a mini-USB port for copying photos from computer to frame. The 10 megabytes of internal storage can hold up to 400 photos.
The Andree Putman designer frame comes with a designer price tag of US$450 and is available to order at www.parrotshopping.com. No matter if it is positioned horizontally or vertically within your own interior design, the frame automatically rotates and resizes the photos to the proper orientation.
CAR STEREO EJECTS THE CD, IN FAVOR OF NEWER FORMATS AND BLENDS IN WITH THE DASH
Selecting CDs for a car trip and juggling them in and out of a dashboard slot seems passe, now that you can carry hours of music on a digital music player, a USB thumb drive, a pocket-size hard drive or a memory card the size of a postage stamp.
So Blaupunkt left the CD player out of its Brisbane SD48 car stereo, supplementing its radio tuner with inputs and card slots for all of those compact music carriers instead. The front panel has an analog auxiliary input, for connection to the headphone jack of a portable player or satellite-radio adapter, and an SD/MMC memory-card slot. A USB adapter cable plugs into the back.
There are options to configure the Brisbane for use with iPods, Bluetooth or wired-in cell phones, navigation systems and CD changers.
The Brisbane also has a built-in amplifier with four 50-watt channels, and four-channel preamp outputs for use with external amplifiers.
The Brisbane fits standard radio slots, and its dial illumination color can be adjusted to match virtually any car’s dashboard lights. The front panel is removable to deter theft.
Just after 6am, I walked up to the ticket gate at Taipei Main Station and entered the Taiwan Railway platform without scanning any ticket; instead, I flashed the Sanrio Fun Rail pass on my phone to the gate worker and was admitted. I found my train and prepared to board. My destination? This very same station. I was embarking on a 13-hour journey on one of two round-the-island trains operated by ezTravel. They run each day, one counterclockwise around the island and one clockwise. They differ in a number of ways from an ordinary Taiwan Railway train and can make for
Jason Han says that the e-arrival card spat between South Korea and Taiwan shows that Seoul is signaling adherence to its “one-China” policy, while Taiwan’s response reflects a reciprocal approach. “Attempts to alter the diplomatic status quo often lead to tit-for-tat responses,” the analyst on international affairs tells the Taipei Times, adding that Taiwan may become more cautious in its dealings with South Korea going forward. Taipei has called on Seoul to correct its electronic entry system, which currently lists Taiwan as “China (Taiwan),” warning that reciprocal measures may follow if the wording is not changed before March 31. As of yesterday,
The Portuguese never established a presence on Taiwan, but they must have traded with the indigenous people because later traders reported that the locals referred to parts of deer using Portuguese words. What goods might the Portuguese have offered their indigenous trade partners? Among them must have been slaves, for the Portuguese dealt slaves across Asia. Though we often speak of “Portuguese” ships, imagining them as picturesque vessels manned by pointy-bearded Iberians, in Asia Portuguese shipping between local destinations was crewed by Asian seamen, with a handful of white or Eurasian officers. “Even the great carracks of 1,000-2,000 tons which plied
On Thursday, former Taipei mayor and founder of the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) was sentenced to 17 years in prison and had his civil rights suspended for six years over corruption, embezzlement and other charges. Seven others related to the case were also handed prison sentences, while two were found not guilty. It has been a bad week for the TPP. On Tuesday, prosecutors charged Chinese immigrant Xu Chunying (徐春鶯) with suspicion of taking part in Beijing-directed election interference. Xu has strong links to the TPP, which once offered her a party list legislator nomination. Tuesday also
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