Fujifilm updates F, S and HS lines of superzoom cameras ahead of CES bonanza

We hope you like cameras, cause Fujifilm has more digital shooters than you can possibly keep track of. We'll have to wait to get our hands on the company's latest until next week, but it was kind enough to send over some PR ahead of time. On the superzoom front we're looking at the FinePix HS30EXR and HS25EXR, a pair of 16-megapixel cams with half-inch CMOS sensors and 30x (24mm-720mm) optical zoom lenses. Both also sport three-inch tilting LCDs and can capture full 1080p video at 30 frames a second. If resolution can take a backseat to speed, then you're free to shoot clips at 320fps. Both will be landing in March for $500 (HS30) and $400 (HS25). But we're not done yet -- a sextuplet of other magnification focused devices await after the break.

Fujifilm CES 2012 superzoom cameras: HS30EXR, HS25EXR, F770EXR, F750EXR, F660EXR, SL300, S4200, S4500

Taking a small step down in the feature department are the FinePix F770EXR, F750EXR and F660EXR. These three shooters trade in some advanced photo processing, but the F770EXR does add a GPS module for attaching location to your snapshots and retains the ability to shoot in RAW (which the 750 and 660 lack). The two 700 models drop the zoom levels down to a more modest 20x (25-500mm), though, they offer a slightly wider angle image at the bottom end. The 660 on the other hand settles for a 15x optical zoom lens (24-360mm). All three will also be landing in March, starting at $280 for the F660EXR, $350 for the F750 and $380 for the F770.

Rounding out the newest zoom-happy offerings from Fujifilm are the S4200, S4500 and SL300, which ditch the sensor found on the other models for a 14-megapixel CCD. The S4200 starts things out with a 24x (24-576mm) lens, while the S4500 and SL300 both get more spy-friendly 30x (24-720mm) optics. All three have to settle for 720p video, but they do all allow you to add tags for Facebook and YouTube right from the camera -- which should prove popular with the social networking addict in your clique. The S4200 and S4500, which ship in February for $230 and $260 respectively, also skip out on the rechargeable cells in favor of AAs, while the SL300 lands in March for $300 with a lithium-ion pack included. Check out the pile of PR below for more details.

Fujifilm opens the FinePix camera floodgates ahead of CES

Fujifilm knows that you're almost certainly going through gadget withdrawal in these days and hours leading up to CES, so it's unleashing not one, but ten FinePix cameras for your pointing-and-shooting pleasure. It's a long list, so get comfortable. Let's start with the JX580, which will offer up 16 megapixels, 5x optical zoom and a three-inch LCD for $119, when it drops in February. The JX500 will be hitting the same month for $99, bringing 14 megapixels, 5x optical zoom and a 2.7-inch LCD. The AX550 brings 16 megapixels and 5x optical zoom. It'll be hitting in March for $89. All three slim cameras feature intelligent flash, tracking auto focus and scene recognition auto.

And what of the FinePix JZ250 and JZ100? We're glad you asked. The JZ250 brings a 16 megapixel sensor, 8x optical zoom and a newly brightened three-inch LCD to the table, while the JZ100 rocks 14 megapixels, 8x optical zoom and a 2.7-inch LCD. Both can shoot movies in 720p and will hit retail in March for $149 and $129, respectively. The T400 and T350 both offer up Scene Recognition Auto, face detection and Motion Panorama Mode, as well as 10x optical zoom and three-inch LCDs. The T400 does 16 megapixels and the T350 tops out at 14. They'll run $179 and $159 when they're released in March.

The FinePix XP150 and XP100 do the rugged thing, shockproof, freezeproof, dustproof and waterproof to 33 feet. The XP50, meanwhile, is also durable -- albeit slightly less so. All three cameras shoot 1080p video and have dual image stabilization and tracking autofocus. The XP150 also brings GPS and geo-tagging to the table. The three cameras will hit in March for $279, $259 and $199. Full PR after the break.

Razer Electra Review

The gaming hardware market has expanded in India and the number of accessories that are available today seem nothing short of being impressive. The market is flooded with gaming mice, mousepads and headphones and all the big names have made their presence known. Razer has been among the first ones to have entered the market and there’s no shortage of new products being launched. The Electra is one of their more affordable gaming headsets being sold. 

Design and build quality
Razer’s profile is filled with somewhat unconventional themed devices. Their gaming mice all stand out from the rest and it’s no different with this new Razer Electra gaming headset. The shape and design is defined by sharper edges and little curves and colours. The headphone is mostly black in colour, which is only contrasted by the light fluorescent green band at the top. There is the usual Razer logo branding on either sides of the cans. While this should catch everyone’s eye, we’re not sure if it’s for the right reasons. Some people tend to like this colour scheme, some don’t. The cables too are coloured in the same green theme. They're strong, but at 1.3m, they're not really long; you can’t sit too far back from the PC. There are two cables, one with with a microphone element, one without. 

Green cloth lining the insides of the cans

The headband, which is made up of two thin closely placed panels and some cushioning added in between, makes wearing the Electra fairly comfortable. A synthetic cloth-like material is used in place of the plain plastic of false-leather fabrics used on most other headphones. There are no signs of wood and the entire headphone is made up of plastic. The earpads move a little bit, so wearing them for long hours is comfortable. The general build quality is good and it doesn’t look like there’s any chance of damage in the long run.

Features
The Electra is a pretty basic headset in terms of features. The detachable cables make it easy to carry around. We would’ve liked longer cables, but the current length is just about right and the quality of the cables is good. The headphones can also be folded, so carrying them in a small bag is easy. On the inside, the headphones use two 40mm neodymium drivers to generate sound. The mentioned frequency range of the product is 25 to 16,000 Hz, slightly less than what other brands and models are advertised as. The impedance on these cans is 32 Ohms, so driving them is easy - pretty much any sound solution from a PMP to a sound card can drive these headphones. 

Standard design for a headphone - nothing extraordinary here

The separate microphone unit has a frequency response range of 100Hz to 10kHz. When the microphone module is connected to the headphone, it places it roughly at the same level as your mouth. Unfortunately, you can only use this with audio devices that have a common jack for microphone input and audio output. This means, phones, PMPs and tablets should be able to use them just fine. You need a PC audio port that supports both microphone and audio output connects in a single jack, though.

Performance
The Electra is a bass heavy headphone and it doesn’t do too badly at music. There’s a fair amount of detail across instruments, but the bass is a little overpowering. If the bass were a little lower, it would’ve been a better detailed headphone. The bass is punchy and the upper range of the frequency spectrum is not very prominent. Even at lower volumes, bass is delivered and there’s a good bit of punch. We tried all kinds of genres of music on the headphones. .

Two cables, one with a microphone cable, one without

The bass is also relatively accurate and there’s no spillover in each beat. This should all help in the performance during gaming. Most gaming headphones tend to have a bass-heavy signature sound to them. It’s no is different in the case of the Razer Electra. The bass heavy end and somewhat recessed mids means vocals and guitars sound slightly duller. The microphone quality is average and the sound intensity is decent for gaming. 

Verdict

Gaudy colour - some like it, some don't

The Electra doesn’t cost as much as some of the high-end audiophile class headphones and it’s definitely not the most expensive gaming headphone offering. At Rs. 3,000, it’s fairly inexpensive . We wouldn’t recommend these to music enthusiasts, but gamers, on the other hand will find it handy. They're good for gaming, but not necessary usable on every single PC. We would’ve preferred a traditional microphone that’s bundled into the headphone as the additional microphone cable only adds to the confusion.

Dell XPS 14z Review

Dell’s new XPS ‘z’ series brings the mighty performance of the traditional XPS legacy, but does it with flair. This is for those who’ve eyed the new XPS series, but wanted something sleeker and portable without compromising on the build quality and aesthetics. We already saw the XPS 15z in action, last year and now it’s time to take a look at their newest offering, the XPS 14z.

Design and Build
The XPS 14z is a spitting image of its elder brother and other than some re-arranged ports, it borrows the same DNA; only this time, it looks more striking. The notebook is quite slim and compact for a 14-incher. Dell has fitted the XPS 14z with an edge-to-edge display, which means there’s barely any bezel. They’ve managed to fit all the components in roughly the same form factor as a 13-inch notebook. Made from anodised aluminium, the notebook is full of sweeping curves and chrome accents that give it a stunning look, no matter from which angle you look at it.

Brilliant compact design

The left side houses the microphone and headphone jacks and memory card reader, while on the right we have the slot-loading DVD drive and battery charge indicator. This is quite a handy feature, since the battery in not removable. The rest of the ports are placed at the back, which include the power port, DisplayPort, HDMI, two USB ports and a LAN jack. Sadly, there’s no USB 3.0, which is a downer. The bottom portion is not easily removable by the user, while he tries to swap out the RAM and hard drive.

Doesn't overheat

The power light blends into one of the ribs on the ribbed hinge, same as the XPS 15z. The backlit chiclet keyboard is comfortable to use, but we wished Dell would have thrown in an ambient light sensor to automatically activate the backlight, instead of you having to do it manually. The trackpad for a change works well and we didn't face any issues, whatsoever. Dell has once again succeeded with a solid design, good compact form factor and excellent build quality.

Features
The XPS 14z lives up to its heritage with powerful components that makes for a very productive notebook. Powering it is an Intel Core i7-2640M, a dual-core multi-threaded CPU running at 2.8GHZ and with Turbo up to 3.5GHz. Other components include 8GB of DDR3 RAM, 750GB hard drive and an Nvidia GT 520M with 1GB dedicated graphics. The 14-inch screen has a semi-gloss finish with a resolution of 1366 x 768, which is good enough for a 14-inch screen. The LED backlight ensures even lighting and the panel produces accurate colours with a decent viewing angle. Also, at 2kg, it’s not too heavy, so you can easily carry it around. 

Slender looking

My main gripe here is that Dell doesn’t give you the liberty to customize the notebook. You have just two pre-set configurations and at the most, you can customize the software package and accessories, but not the core components. You’ll notice you get lot more freedom with the regular XPS line-up and it’s a damned cheaper as well, so in essence, Dell is charging you a premium for the design.  

 Performance
Despite this being a dual-core CPU, single threaded apps really benefit from the high default clock speed. This is particularly evident from PCMark Vantage where the XPS 14z even managed to beat the Asus G74SX, which scored 8452 points. The graphics card is the only weak link here, as it just about manages to deliver playable framerates in games. The GT 520M is an entry-level GPU, so we weren’t expecting miracles, anyways. Perhaps, Dell could have thrown in a slightly beefier card to complement the CPU. In video encoding though, the quad-core offerings have a clear advantage over the Dell as they feature twice the number of cores and threads.

Very good CPU performance however the GPU could do better

The XPS 14z is very comfortable to use on a daily basis. The keyboard is comfortable even for extended typing sessions and even though the intake vents are placed underneath, the notebook never overheated over the course of the review. The speakers feature Waves MaxxAudio preset, which helps boost the sound. The quality is pretty good and since the speakers are on the either sides of the keyboard are quite loud for watching a movie or listening to music.

Battery Life
The XPS 14z comes with an 8-cell battery, but since it’s internal, there’s no telling the watt hour, as Dell doesn’t mention those details on the site as well. In any case, Dell claim up to 6hrs of battery life, but we guess that’s for the lower-end configuration, since our top-end model managed just 1hr 30min in Battery Eater Pro, which roughly translates to about 3.5hrs of battery life and maybe a bit more with careful usage.

Verdict
At Rs.78,900, the Dell XPS 14z is quite an expensive 14-inch notebook, but then it does justify that price, to an extent. The price jump seems to be related to the 3-year warranty that comes as standard. Also, the notebook packs an impeccable build and finish and the attention to detail is pretty darn good. More importantly, it feels like a premium product and it also has the goods to back it up. If portability and style is your criteria, then the XPS 14z is a good buy. However, just keep in mind that you’ll have to compromise on the lack of USB 3.0, a non –removable battery and the fact that you’re pretty much stuck to the two configurations that Dell have whipped up.

Would sell well if Dell slashed the price and bundled a better GPU

If you can do with a little less flair and won’t be lugging around the notebook too often, then the standard XPS 15 gives you amazing value for money. We configured an XPS 15 for about Rs.73,000, which includes a Core i7 quad-core CPU, Full HD screen, 8GB RAM, 750GB HDD, Blu-ray combo drive and an Nvidia GT 540M. If only Dell would give you an option to opt for the one-year warranty (which adds about Rs.12,000 to the price), bump up the graphics and drop the price, the XPS 14z would be an instant hit.

PlayStation Vita gets unofficial price cut in Japan

Sony’s successor to the PlayStation Portable, the PlayStation Vita may have had a fairly decent start (in Japan) selling approximately 325,000 units in a week but sales have slowed down drastically since then. According to Softpedia, Sony is currently struggling to sell the Vita in Japan with just about 72,000 units being moved in the second week. This has prompted many retailers to slash the price of the product just so they can sell it off. While these aren’t official price cuts approved by Sony, many retailers across Japan are offering the 3G version of the Vita at a 20% discount incurring losses in the process.

What lies in store for the Vita?

Weak sales for the PlayStation Vita have led many analysts to believe that the era of the handheld console is over thanks to smartphones and tablets but if that was the case, why have sales for the 3DS suddenly picked up? Metro.co.uk has reported that Nintendo moved a staggering 482,200 units of the 3DS the same week the Vita sold a paltry 72,000. The only explanation I can think of now is that the Vita doesn’t have a strong launch line-up.

Either way it’s too early to deem the Vita a failure. Sony faced the same teething issues when the PlayStation 3 was launched but today, that very same console is doing rather well for itself. The PlayStation Vita is expected to launch in India this February.

The original Galaxy Tab gets a price cut, on sale for Rs.14K

Finally the Galaxy Tab gets a price cut! But wait, it’s the seven incher we’re talking about out here and not the 8.9 or the 10.1-inch one. As a limited period offer, the Samsung Galaxy Tab is selling for a price tag of Rs.13,999 on online site, Indiaplaza. 

Galaxy Tab..now selling at 14k

Forgotten about it already? It’s got a 1GHz Cortex A8 single core processor, 16 gigs of internal memory, a 7-inch capacitive touchscreen with a resolution of 1024 x 600 pixels, and Android 2.2. Also, it’s the P1010 version, so this model is a Wi-Fi only one, and you can even make calls. 

The initial pricing of Rs. 20,000 definitely made the Galaxy Tab an extremely expensive purchase, but does the more modest 14K price tag make the Tab a worthy buy, what do you think?

HP L2311c USB 3.0 Notebook Docking Display Unveiled

The last time HP unveiled a monitor it was chasing gamers looking for a little 3D on a budget, but this time around, it's got business users on the brain. Specifically, the kind of workers who spend a lot of time away from the office, or perhaps share a workspace with others. That's the idea behind the 23-inch Compaq L2311c Notebook Docking Monitor, which connects to laptops via USB. That same cable will also transmit video, though even HP will admit you'll get far better results if you use USB 3.0 instead of 2.0. Taking a tour of the monitor itself, you'll find a four-port USB hub and VGA socket, along with a 720p webcam, which should pair nicely with HP's bundled MyRoom software. The 1080p display is also adjustable, with 130mm of space to slide it up and down.

At the lower end of the spectrum, HP also announced the LV1911 and LV2011, a pair of 18.5- and 20-inch monitors, both of which forgo niceties like a webcam or USB hub. Either way, the resolution is low, given the spacious screen sizes: 1366 x 768 for the 18.5-incher, and 1600 x 900 for the 20-inch number. The smaller LV1911 will arrive stateside in March for $125, while the LV2011 will go on sale next month for $135. As for the L2311c docking monitor, it'll cost $319, and be available in the US, Japan and other Asian markets later this month.