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2007 Canon PowerShot SD models hold a few surprises

Another year, another crop of snapshot cameras. This year, Canon's going a bit retro with its Elph design, bringing back the high-contrast black accents that appeared on the original film Elphs 10 years ago.

They've come a long way in that decade. This year's SD750 and SD1000 are 7-megapixel replacements for the the very popular 6-megapixel models, the SD630 and the SD600, respectively. Yes, that's right: The SD750 is the higher-end model of the two.

Despite disparate outsides, the two cameras are fundamentally the same. The major difference is a 2.5-inch LCD on the SD1000 … Read more

Canon's skyscraper cam

Cramming large lenses into ultracompact cameras isn't very new. Neither is a vertically oriented digital camera design--in fact, most of the earliest models looked more like camcorders than traditional film cameras. But most manufacturers have been folding their optical path sideways to fit 4x-plus lenses into tiny cameras. But when Canon went looking for more interiorl real estate to fit a 10x 39-to-390mm-equivalent lens into its new 7-megapixel ultracompact, it took a New York approach and went vertical.

The lens completely retracts back into the camera when powered off, and extends just about a half-inch past the camera body … Read more

Canons for beginners

Canon is on a roll. Just after the release of the PowerShot A460 and the A550, the company announced two new PowerShot A-series cameras on the way, the Canon PowerShot A560 and the A570 IS.

The two 7-megapixel cameras are nearly identical, save for one important distinction. The A570 IS, like other Canon -IS cameras, the PowerShot SD800 IS and the A710 IS, uses optical image stabilization. This handy feature mechanically shifts the lens to reduce the effects of shake when shooting. Optical image stabilization can be very useful when zooming in to take shots. The A560 doesn't have … Read more

Mixed-up bandwidth machine does 3.6 petabits

Herald the dawn of Loki, Norse god of mischief and now high-speed chip-to-chip signaling.

At the International Solid State Circuits Conference in San Francisco, Rambus, the company everyone seems to love to hate, showed off for the first time a technology code-named Loki that it says could significantly cut down the energy consumed by input/output devices.

The experimental device can operate at 6.25 gigabits per second and pass information at 2.2 milliwatts per gigabit. Similar products on the market now can transfer more gigabits per second, but they operate at around 15 to 30 milliwatts per gigabit. … Read more

A precious rose for you

It's that time of the year, when chocolate candy, jewelry, and other romantic gifts scream "I Love You" or "Be My Valentine" from all corners of the globe. This year, however, give a "precious rose," specifically the Canon PowerShot SD40 (precious rose). You'll not only come off as a hopeless romantic, but also a smart technology buyer.

A sun-worshiping keyboard

With so much talk about solar energy these days, you'd think we'd have all manner of sun-powered gadgetry in our midst. But we don't. So we're pleased to see that someone has taken the enviro-speak from theory to reality with an everyday product.

The SlimStar 820 from Taiwan-based Genius is a keyboard that absorbs its energy through an unobtrusive solar panel, Newlaunches says. But in case you're not much into outdoor computing (or live in sun-challenged cities like London or San Francisco), the keyboard can also be powered by a standard USB charger.

Genius, by … Read more

Google prepping presentation product

Google is apparently working on a Powerpoint killer called Presently to go along with its word processor (formerly known as Writely) and its spreadsheet app. This is according to a post on the Googlesystem blog (via TechCrunch).

This is a surprise to no one. Google has been adding basic productivity applications to its suite of online services relentlessly, and there's no reason to expect the company to stop.

Web-based presentation applicationss are great in concept, for two big reasons: First, presentations are often created (or at least approved) by several people and having a presentation that is inherently collaboration-enabled … Read more

PowerSnap bridges divide between local and Web-hosted photos

PowerSnap is a small and free Windows application that merges photos on your home computer with those on the Web photo service Flickr. Its purpose is simple: provide users with a way to view and manage all their photos, online and off.

PowerSnap has a Flash-based interface that lets you navigate, tag, and arrange your photos. It's similar to what you'd get with most photo browsing applications (see iPhoto or Picasa). What sets PowerSnap apart is its Flickr-user tracking, which essentially lets you create RSS feeds for Flickr members. You can add as many Flickr usernames as you … Read more

Eclectic car powered by nature

Venturi, a French company that bills itself as "The Carbon Neutral Company," has a new electric vehicle that can also be powered by nature.

Whenever I see cars like this, my first thought is always...OK, how fast does it go? Politics aside, no one wants to be the guy in the Trabant.

The answer for the Venturi Eclectic is not that fast, but not that bad for what it is. It tops out at 31 mph.

As with the Tamarack Lake Engine Company's solar-electric pontoon boat, recreational vehicles like these seem to be more about making … Read more