July 12, 2006, 7:11 PM PDT
It's about faces for Fujifilm's FinePix S series
Posted by: Lori Grunin

Though Fujifilm still has a few tricks up its sleeve, the 6-megapixel FinePix S6000fd introduces only a couple of new ones. This latest entrant in the FinePix S series of megazoom, dSLR-style cameras introduces the company's hardware-based face-detection technology and integrates most of Fujifilm's current slate of imaging technologies. However, it uses pretty much the same body design and the same 28mm-to-300mm 10.7X zoom lens as earlier models, such as the Fujifilm FinePix S9500. The manual zoom/focus ring on the lens barrel should continue to be one of the big draws for this series.

The camera's face-detection chip isolates as many as 10 faces in a scene, then passes the info to the Real Photo processing engine, which optimizes focus and exposure for them. Fujifilm claims that its hardware implementation--other manufacturers are developing software versions--makes the feature very fast, so that there's little lag imposed on shooting speed. I'll reserve judgment on both performance and efficacy, since a tool of this sort is highly dependent upon implementation. For instance, the camera will automatically choose one face as being most important; if it frequently guesses wrong, then it may not be terribly useful.

Other RP technologies in the S6000fd include iFlash, which automatically adjusts flash intensity based on the scene--a feature that every digital camera should have--and the poorly dubbed Picture Stabilization, which does nothing more than adjust the Program AE to use a higher set of ISO and shutter-speed settings. In this model, Fujifilm pushes its SuperCCD HR as high as ISO 3,200. Finally, the camera's Dual-Shot mode will snap two photos in succession: one with flash, the other at a higher ISO and shutter speed but without the flash. Basically, it sounds as if the S6000fd gives you a lot of ways to trade off between blur and noise. In my opinion, if you're that conscious of the two, you're better off with a dSLR. But maybe the $500 S6000 will prove me wrong when it ships in September. Check back to find out.

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July 12, 2006, 6:16 PM PDT
Price elasticity prompts Fujifilm FinePix F20
Posted by: Lori Grunin

It's not the sexiest reason to introduce a camera, but Fujifilm's FinePix F20 is for those cash-strapped few who can't--or don't care to--spent another $50 or so for the FinePix F30. (Note: the list price difference is more like $100, but that usually gets squeezed down quite a bit in the real world.) They're pretty much the same camera, but the F20 maxes out at ISO 2,000 (instead of 3,200) and ships with a less powerful battery, which lasts about half as long as the F30's.

We like the F30, and unless the company has managed to break anything when downsizing to the F20, the newer model will likely be a much better value. When it ships next month, we'll be able to tell you whether shelling out $299 for it is a good deal.

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July 12, 2006, 5:10 PM PDT
New Cingular GoPhones
Posted by: Kent German

Motorola this week launched the Motorola C139, a new handset for Cingular's GoPhone prepaid service. A simple candy bar handset with rounded ends, the C139 offers a tiny color display, text messaging, monophonic ring tones, and basic organizer functions. For such a small handset, however, the C139 promises a lengthy talk-time battery life of up to 11 hours. The phone is just $39.99, and it comes with a $10 GoPhone airtime card.

Cingular also introduced the Sony Ericsson Z300a and the diminutive Pantech C300 recently. Like the C139, the handsets aren't available for Cingular's standard service plans.

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July 12, 2006, 3:48 PM PDT
Microsoft and Yahoo IM services to become interoperational
Posted by: Robert Vamosi

Current users of Microsoft Windows Live Messenger and Yahoo Messenger with Voice beta can now use a beta program to exchange messages with each other, see each other online, send offline IMs, and select shared emoticons. This beta test marks the first interoperability announcement from the major IM services players; previously, one had to use a third party, such as Trillian. Current users will be prompted to participate in the beta test. If you are using an older version of Microsoft Live Messenger or Yahoo Messenger, you can still join by visiting either http://ideas.live.com or http://messenger.yahoo.com.

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July 12, 2006, 3:32 PM PDT
Hey, Rocketboom is back! Uh. Woo?
Posted by: Molly Wood

Well, hot diggity. After all the hoopla about Amanda Congdon's untimely departure and the hiring of a new host (former MTV Europe VJ Joanna Colan), it hardly passed unnoticed that Rocketboom failed to reappear Monday, as promised. But a new episode showed up Wednesday! And wow, Joanna Colan really does looking startlingly like Amanda Congdon. And Rocketboom probably hit its best ratings ever, maybe just out of maudlin curiosity after the whole scandal. I mean, I rushed right over to watch it! And then I remembered why, uh, I never actually watched it before. So at least that much hasn't changed.

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July 12, 2006, 3:13 PM PDT
Worst week ever: EU fines Microsoft $357 million
Posted by: Molly Wood

Dear Microsoft: Remember how the European Commission has spent the last two years being hostile, demanding, pushy, insistent, and generally in an enforcing state of mind regarding its 2004 ruling that your behaviors were anticompetitive and you needed to open up your protocols to rival companies or face gigantic fines? Well, apparently you don't, or you would have at least made an overture toward meeting their deadlines. And since you didn't, the fine (remember, they said it'd be gigantic) amounts to $357.3 million and will start accumulating at the rate of 3 million euros a day starting July 31. I can totally understand why you'd space the whole thing--what with Bill leaving, working on that iPod killer, and trying to churn out Xbox 360s. But maybe now it's time to give the whole compliance thing a try, no? No? You're appealing? Oh. Well, OK. Good luck with that. Love, Molly

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July 12, 2006, 2:26 PM PDT
Emurse creates and tracks resumes
Posted by: Rafe Needleman

Emurse is a simple utility that makes it easy to create sharp-looking resumes. You fill in bunch of fields with your experience, skills, education, and so forth, and it will create a resume using one of five different designs. You can then export the resume in a Word file, PDF, HTML, or plain text. Emurse will host your HTML resume for you, too.

The data entry system on Emurse is both very simple and highly flexible, which is a neat trick. I'd prefer a more WYSIWYG editor in the text fields, though (for example, if you want to italicize text, you have to surround it with underscores, _like this_).

Emurse also helps you keep track of where you've sent your resume, and it sets reminders for follow-ups. It even it tries to tell you when the people to whom you've e-mailed resumes open them. Unfortunately, it uses the clear GIF tracking method that Outlook blocks by default, but that's just as well, since monitoring what people do with e-mails you send is a controversial practice.

Using a tool such as Emurse to help you focus your energy on the content of your resume, instead of wrestling with your word processor to get it to display right, is smart, especially since many big businesses now use resume processing software (see Authoria, BrassRing, Taleo, and Vurv) that's unimpressed by fancy formatting. On the other hand, sometimes you really want to hand someone that nicely laid-out piece of paper. Emurse is a good tool to create it.

Source: eHub

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July 12, 2006, 1:47 PM PDT
I tot I saw a new HP PC
Posted by: Matthew Elliott

In addition to the laptops mentioned previously in this blog, HP added some new desktops to its lineup today. Now in its fourth iteration, the Pavilion Slimline s7500 uses the same small case as previous versions but now lets you add in a TV tuner. You get the choice between four laptop processors: Intel's Pentium M or Celeron M or AMD's Turion or mobile Sempron. Pricing starts at $449. Without the option for discrete graphics or a dual-core processor and with limited expansion options, the Slimline remains a better choice for a second PC than for your primary machine--say, as a cheap way to access the Internet from your kitchen or as a DVR box for the living room. With laptop prices falling they way they are, however, it's harder to see the point in a miniature PC such as this. As cheap as it is, you're still required to add a monitor, speakers, a keyboard, and a mouseý-costs not associated with a laptop.

Full-size desktops released today are the HP Pavilion a1500, the Pavilion Media Center TV m7500n, and the Compaq Presario SR1900. The a1500 is the second-from-the-top model in the Pavilion line and can be configured with either an AMD or an Intel dual-core processor. Pricing starts as low as $659 but quickly scales up as you add in higher-end components. The Media Center m7500n is actually a collection of fixed-configuration Media Centers, ranging in price from $919 to $1,149. And the Presario SR1900 is a new entry-level series that offers decent configuration options and an impossibly low starting price of $249.

Lastly, if you feel the urge to customize the look of your rig, HP has you and your PC covered. Similar to the skins for the iPods it used to sell, HP is selling skins for some of its laptops and desktops, including the Slimline. The PC skins were introduced in May, but today is the first time this editor has seen them. Choices are wide and varied and, unless you're 12, pretty much a waste of time.

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July 12, 2006, 1:16 PM PDT
DLO debuts workout case for XM portable devices
Posted by: Jasmine France

Today, DLO released a new Action Jacket case that fits the Samsung Helix and the Pioneer Inno. The fitness-friendly case features a cushioned neoprene design with a clear screen protector. There's also a belt clip that rotates 180 degrees and an adjustable armband. The Helix/Inno controls, which have the same layout, are printed on the front of the case for easy operation. The price for taking XM on your next jog? $29.99.

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July 12, 2006, 10:27 AM PDT
Paid music downloads quickly increasing in the U.K. and the U.S.
Posted by: James Kim

According to a report in Digital Music News, British paid downloads have reached the 1-million-per-week mark. Thirteen million tracks were downloaded in the second quarter compared to 5.6 million during the same period last year, and 2006 should end with more than 50 million tracks sold.

The report, basing its figures on U.K. industry group BPI, goes on to say: "In terms of the British singles market, digital formats are now commanding most of the action. Just two years ago, the percentage was negligible, though paid downloads now represent more than three-quarters of all singles purchases."

In the U.S, 281 million tracks were downloaded in the first half of 2006, which represents a 77 percent increase over the same period in 2005.

Source: Digital Music News

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