Reviews

Camcorder group test (Part 3) Toshiba Camileo H10 Review

Toshiba Camileo H10 Review

The H10 is Toshiba’s budget entry into the high definition camcorder market. The most remarkable thing about this camcorder is the fact that it’s a high definition camera (HD) for about £180. Not long ago this would have been much more expensive and out of the reach of most of us. Having been mildly impressed by the “handiness” of the SDR-S7 I was interested to see how the H10 would perform with its HD capability given that the two machines are virtually the same price.

The Toshiba Camileo H10

What’s in the box?

• H10 video camera
• Li-ion rechargeable battery, 3.7v/1050mAh
• USB cable
• AV cable
• HDMI cable
• Mains charger
• Remote control
• Strap
• Quick start guide
• Software CD

General

The H10 is a clean and uncluttered design with an encouraging lack of buttons to tweak and render it useless. Physically, it’s a bit of a brick, albeit a compact one with some decent features. A brick because it’s too big to fit into my pocket, compact because it feels dense in the hand. The dense feel also helps it to feel well-built despite the low price.

The H10 has a 5x optical zoom and can record video in 720p HD MPEG-4 format video on SD or SDHC Cards at frame rates of up to 30fps – this is a decent specification for an entry level camcorder and genuinely useful.

The Toshiba Camileo H10 controls

Rear: Video record; 5-way multi-function keypad for selecting modes and menu items

Top: Zoom in/out; still camera shutter release

Underneath: Battery compartment; SDHC card slot; tripod socket

Left: Power switch; AV-out socket; HDMI socket; USB2.0 socket

Toshiba Camileo H10 Specification:

• Image Sensor: 10.48 Mega Pixel CCD Sensor
• Operation Modes: Movie Record, Picture Record
• Lens: F3.5 – 3.7 (f = 6.8 – 34 mm)
• Focus Range Macro: 1 cm ~30cm
• Normal: 30 cm ~ infinity
• Optical Zoom: 5X
• Shutter: Mechanical Shutter
• LCD monitor: 2.7” LCD
• Storage Media: Built-in 64 MB, SD/MMC Card Slot
• Image Resolution
• High: 4608 x 3456 (16M pixels)
• Standard: 3648 x 2736 (10M pixels)
• Low: 2592 x 1944 (5M pixels)
• Movie Resolution HD: 1280 x 720, 30 fps
• D1: 720 x 480, 30 fps
• VGA: 640 x 480, 30 fps
• QVGA: 320 x 240, 30 fps
• White Balance: Auto/Manual (Daylight, Fluorescent, Tungsten)
• Exposure: ± 1EV in 0.3 steps
• Self-Timer: Approx. 10 second delay
• Flash: (for still) Auto/ On/Off/Red Eye Reduction
• File Format Image: JPEG
• Movie: AVI (H.264)
• Image play: Single Image/Thumbnails/Slideshow
• PC Interface: Mini USB2.0
• TV out Digital:: HDMI
• Analogue: Composite Video (NTSC/PAL Selectable)
• Battery: NP60 Lithium-ion Rechargeable Battery, 3.7v, 1050mAh
• Dimensions: 117mm x 65mm x 56 mm
• Weight: 314g (without battery), 340g(with battery)

Highlights:

• Simple
• Robust
• Uses SD cards
• Easy to use

Lowlights:

• A bit portly
• No conventional viewfinder
• Slow zoom
• Heat

Review

Although substantially smaller than many mini-DV cams, the first thing to strike me after using the compact SDR-S7 and Sanyo Xacti is just how chunky the Toshiba is. It certainly won’t fit in your trouser pocket. It could be used to as a weapon and it feels like it’s hewn from billet alloy. The upside is that the larger size does make the Tosh’ somewhat easier and more comfortable to hold at eye level when compared to the Panasonic SDR-S7.

Fold the screen out and it switches on automatically to either present you with the video filming mode or the still camera mode depending where it left off last time. Switching between the two is merely a single key press away. Video recording is simply a case of pointing it at the subject and then pressing the record button on the rear of the camera body.
There is plenty of control over shooting modes via the menu system, which is easy to navigate by virtue of the fact it is very simple and clear.

The Tosh’ is capable of recording in HD resolution of 1280 x 720 pixels at 30 frames per second (fps). This is quite some going for a budget model when you consider that most DV cams work at 720 x 576 and 25fps. You should be aware though that editing such large images is fairly demanding for any pc and some well-known photo-editing applications still aren’t HD ready. There’s plenty of other resolutions available that take up far less storage space if your needs are less demanding, however, it seems to be pointless using them unless you upload to a video mangling service like YouTube.

Accessing the menu system is not obvious initially and there is no menu key per se. It’s done via the centre-select key on the 5-way navigator keypad. The menu system has sensibly been kept simple and logical, but alas it has one really annoying flaw. Once you have selected an option it closes down the menu subsystem entirely to return you back to the camera view. What if you want to change another option or undo the changes you’ve just made? You have to navigate all the way there again.

The 5x optical zoom is quite limited when compared to conventional DV-cam opposition. This is typical for a budget camera. Unfortunately, the zoom control is extremely tardy and the lens is both slow to zoom and focus. This renders the camera less than idea for sports footage or fast moving subjects. In normal general filming it would be less noticeable.

I was pleased to see that the charging is done via the USB2.0 mini-socket. This means it should also be possible to charge from your computer when connected. The battery itself is a 3.7v/1050mAh item which gives a life of around 50 minutes – this was slightly less than I expected but probably reasonable given the higher definition. During charging and normal use I noticed that the entire camera got very warm – this is a bit disconcerting. The same heat was also transferred to the SD card which, doesn’t bode well for longevity of the card – another reason why a man might not wish to put it in his trouser pocket!

There is no conventional lens cover – instead the lens is protected by a large hard plastic cover. This is all very well, but the cover doesn’t appear to be replaceable so, if it gets scratched then you compromise image.

Toshiba Camileo H10 lens

Movie quality was entirely acceptable although I really didn’t notice any improvement in quality rendered by HD over SD. The whole thing is quite subjective really and depends upon so many things such as the quality of monitor it is viewed on, the physical size of the CCD, compression etc. I daresay if you had a HD tv then you would notice the difference. As a stills camera it makes a passable job and there’s no reason why it couldn’t be your only stills camera although the normal caveat still applies – if you want a stills camera then buy one.

You can download a sample video – taken straight from the H10 memory card with this link.

Conclusion:

The H10 is a versatile camera that should satisfy most users needs unless they are serious filmers. It’s easy to use, feels well put together and it’s not expensive. Really, for £180 the buyer is getting a decent machine for not much money and I feel it offers better value than the Panasonic SDR-S7 for a similar price. Having previously said I would be happy with the Panasonic as an everyday device, I am now having to revise that in favour of the Tosh’. Just beware of its bulk.

Join me again soon for the next camera in the Camcorder Group Test or head over and look at Part 1 to see which cameras we are including or have a look at my Panasonic SDR-S7 review or Sanyo Xacti HD700 review.

Review by: Nigel

Wacom Bamboo Fun tablet review

The Wacom Bamboo Fun is one of Wacom’s entry level graphics tablets.

For those who don’t know what a graphics tablet is, think of it as a pen and pad that replace the mouse as a way of controlling your computer. (You can use a special mouse on these pads as well, but I’ve yet to meet anyone who actually uses them)

Wacom Bamboo Fun (in blue obviously!)

Some people just use it as a replacement for their mouse as it can help with RSI or just because they prefer the pen input over a mouse, but most people will use it in art packages for everything from photo retouching to painting their own Mona Lisa.

What’s in the box?

• Bamboo Fun pen tablet
• Bamboo Fun mouse
• Bamboo Fun pen
• Pen stand
• USB cable
• Quick start guide
• Installation CD (includes tablet driver and electronic user manual)
• Adobe Photoshop Elements 5.0 Win/4.0 Mac
• Corel Painter Essentials 3.0
• Package of 3 replacement pen nibs

Wacom Bamboo Fun Specification:

• Tablet Size:
  Small: 8.4" W x 7.3" D x 0.3" H
  Medium: 11.0" W x 9.3" D x 0.3" H
• Active Area
  Small: 5.8" W x 3.7" D
  Medium: 8.5" W x 5.3" D
• Pressure Sensitivity
  512 Levels
• Resolution
  2,540 Lines Per Inch
• ExpressKeys
  4
• Finger-Sensitive Input
  Touch Ring
• Color
  Available in Black,
  Silver, White and Blue

Quick tour

The setup of the Bamboo Fun couldn’t be any easier – it just plugs into a free USB socket and after the installation of the drivers you open up your favourite art package (or install the included applications) and start drawing your very own masterpiece.

At the top of the pad are ‘Express keys’ that you can customise in the drivers to do common shortcuts, and the big circular thing is the ‘Touch Ring’. This is used for things like zoom in and out, or scrolling – all very useful.

The thing that will take some people a little time to get used to is that the surface of the pad represents the whole of your monitor, so top left on the pad is the top left of the monitor and bottom right is bottom right. So unlike your mouse where you lift it and the cursor stays put, when you put the pen to the surface the cursor jumps straight there.

When you are just in normal applications or on the desktop then you can use the pen to single or double click just like you would with a mouse – the pen also has left and right click buttons built in.

This natural mapping and the use of a pen instead of a mouse make graphics tablets good for people who suffer from RSI as tablets provide a less physically stressful input method.

The pen is also pressure sensitive – in this case 512 levels of sensitivity – so in programs that support pressure information, they can translate the pressure that you applying and change the affects on the program. The simplest example of this is when you are in an art program and set it to use the pressure to set the transparency of the strokes – light pressure with the pen produce light marks, pressing harder with the pen produces heavier marks, very cool and very different to using a mouse.

Some other examples of things that the pressure can control include brush width and brush colour,  and these options differ from program to program, so I won’t even attempt to list all the possibilities here.

What this means is that using the pen is very much like using a normal pencil or paintbrush – with the big advantage that on a computer you can press UNDO 😀

Wacom Pen

The pen also has an ‘eraser’ on the other end, which is also pressure sensitive – so if you want to rub out part of your art then just flip the pen upside down, exactly as you would if you were using a pencil in the real world. Very useful for erasing mistakes or softening edges.

The eraser is really a second tip, so if you want to tell the program to use that end of the pen for something different then you can.

And it’s not just traditional painting programs that can use these tablets either, some of the 3d art packages also support the pressure information to allow things like sculpting.

For anyone who’s worried about the pen nib wearing down, don’t as you can replace the nibs very easily – there are even 3 included in the package.

Bamboo Fun Controls

The Review

I’m primarily a programmer, but every now and again I do things like photo retouching, website design, game art etc, and so a couple of years ago I decided to have a look at graphics tablets.

Without question the most respected name out there was Wacom – but I couldn’t really justify anything expensive and in the end I picked up a cheap tablet from another manufacturer. I use it occasionally and it’s functional at best, and I’ve always wondered what a real Wacom tablet would be like.

The Bamboo Fun is targeting people just like me in many respects – people who don’t want to spend lots of cash, but like the idea of having a graphics tablet as an input device for doing their doodles or photo retouching. As the name says, Bamboo Fun.

The pad is dead simple to install, and once I’d realised that Wacom pens don’t actually need batteries, I was good to go. (Wacom tablets use their own technology that is different to other manufacturers)

I opened up my trusty art package and away I doodled. I tested out the pressure sensitivity input in all it’s various guises and generally made a very pretty mess of the screen. The ExpressKeys are useful for commonly used tasks, as is the Touch Ring, but being placed at the top of the tablet isn’t ideal – I realise that it’s there as otherwise they’d have to put 2 sets on (for left and right handed people) but they are just a little awkward at the top.

After a bit of playing I realised that something didn’t quite feeling right with the pen interaction. I decided to try the included software instead, as that would obviously show the pen at it’s best.

So I installed Photoshop Elements and once I’d worked out how to use the program and enable the pressure sensitivity stuff, I was away and doodling again.

Again something wasn’t quite right. The sensitivity of the pen at the light pressure end of the scale was a little poor, so it went from near zero to mid pressure with very little change in actual pressure on the pen. I tried holding the pen differently and tinkering with driver settings, but I couldn’t get it quite where I wanted it to be.

In a general input sense the pen was accurate enough though, so for actual input, the tablet is fine. The size of the working area might frustrate some, but at the end of the day if you want a bigger area, you buy a bigger tablet.

On a personal note, the other slight niggle was the feeling of the nib on the surface of the tablet. It felt a little ‘scratchy’ to me – but this might be improved with a different type of nib.

Highlights

• draw directly into your PC, very cool
• accuracy of the pen’s movement is something Wacom are well known for

Lowlights

• it would be nice if the USB cable was a little longer
• surface feels a little ‘scratchy’ in use – might be fixable with new nibs

Conclusion

As an input device to just replace a mouse the Bamboo Fun is fine. As a tablet for the occasional photo retouching or just messing around in art packages, kids will love it, then again it’s fine.

If you are looking to do lots of artwork and need delicate control from the pen, then I’d try another of the Wacom pads instead.

Review by: Iain

Eten Glofiish V900 review

Introduction

As Matt mentioned earlier I have been playing with the Eten Glofiish for the past week or so. This was the first time I had used a Windows Mobile device that wasn’t manufactured by HTC which was one of the main reasons for wanting a shot of this phone. Another reason was the full DVB TV which I’ll tell you more about as the review moves forward.

Eten Glofiish V900

The 10 second review:
Device: Eten GlofiishV900
Cost: SIM free only: £464.13 (Inc VAT) from Clove Technology.
Available to pre-order from: CLOVE technology (Go and buy one from here)
Summary: As far as Windows Mobile devices go this is fairly bog standard but then we look at the phone and see there’s just a little more to this than meets the eye.
Best of: DVB TV, Box & Packaging, GPS Folder (See below), FM Radio, SMS Service
Worst of: Screen Flicker, Bottom App Section

What’s in the box?

Well we wont go into too much detail about what’s in the box as we have an Unboxing Video already online.

Specification

Matt has posted the specs along with the  Unboxing Video already so have a look there before reading on.

General

The Eten Glofiish V900 didn’t really follow in the same design the other Glofiish handsets out there (not that there is a specific Glofiish design). Weighing in at 147g it’s not quite the lightest handset out there but saying that it really isn’t heavy either.

The front end of the phone boasts a large 2.8" 480 x 640 touch screen. Sitting at the top of the screen there is a front facing VGA camera for 3G Video calls and an earpiece grill which houses two system indicator lights.

Angled view of Glofiish V900

The left hand side of the phone has just 2 buttons and the DVB antenna which looks like a stylus when tucked away. The button at the top is the rocker volume switch which I have to admit would have been better on the right hand side for comfort. The second button is defaulted as Voice Command but can be customised.

The Left Hand Side

Moving over to the opposite side we find the power button, reset pin hole, MicroSD slot, camera button and the Stylus.

The Right Hand Side

The top of the handset has nothing but a simple GPS logo etched in.

Top View

At the bottom we find (from left to right) the 2.5mm Jack socket (please stop this device manufacturers), miniUSB port and the microphone.

Bottom View

At the top left hand side on the back of the phone 3.1MP auto focus camera with the self portrait mirror, LED flash, and large speaker sitting just to the right of it. Underneath this lot we see the Glofiish name and windows logo printed on the removable part of the back cover.

Back View

Removing the back from the phone allows you access to the Li-Ion 1530 mAh battery and simcard area. The first thing I noticed when removing the back cover was a label saying "Don’t Tear" which if I’m being honest I have no idea what it relates to but can only guess that its talking about a piece of plastic film that’s been stuck to the battery to make it easier to remove.. 

Highlights and Lowlights

+ DVB TV

+ GPS

+ FM Radio

+ Screen Size

– Screen seems to get brighter every now and again causing a flicker effect.

– Flimsy Antenna

– No full paper version of instructions

Review

The phone is priced quite highly which for me was a downside, even with the DVB and GPS. If I was to pick a group of people that would be interested in this phone I would go with the Windows Mobile fan who just wants a little more tech in his technology.

When I took the phone box out of its very nice "Special Delivery" pack and bubble wrap the first thing that caught my eye was a very simplistic yet eye catching box. In saying that I found it funny that the box told you where to buy it despite the fact that by having it you have already bought it (or had it for Free like us). Opening the box was very refreshing, no confuddle of leaflets, cables etc… just a very plain cardboard insert housing the phone which did however take me a wee while to get the phone out of there as I had not seen Matt’s video at this point. Underneath the initial cardboard insert lay a cardboard box which was very neatly packed with the cables and leaflets that normally clutter every other box.

Powering on the phone gave a very bright orange background which if you look at the glofiish website seems to be their trade colour. After running through the normal Windows Mobile set up it loaded the spb Shell interface which in general I am not a fan of but it was nice for a change to see it coming built in.

Navigation was very simple as you’ll find that all Windows Mobile systems handle the same way. The D-Pad wasn’t however just as easy to navigate with. I found this quite cumbersome and slow to respond. I decided that for the remainder of my trial I would only use it if needed.

Angled D-Pad View

There were lots on nice things sitting inside the programs menu like the GPS folder which had a GPS viewer, Location SMS and Satelite Data Update tucked inside it. The next "nice thing" was the Multimedia folder which had the FM Transmitter, FM Tuner and Mobile TV Player inside. I played a lot with all of these tools and loved everyone of them. The FM radio needed no headset to play which was a great feature and the Location SMS was simply fun to use.

If asked to describe the Mobile TV Player I would say I have mixed feelings. After speaking with Matt we thought that it might only be possible to get this service working on London or Birmingham as those were the only 2 cities in the UK listed in the presets however after fiddling about with the settings a little more I eventually found a section that would allow me to scan deeper and low and behold I had Digitial TV working on the phone. This was met with a little annoyance as it did take over 10 minutes to scan and load the channel lists.

At the bottom of the today screen there is a section that contains nearly every app / program the phone has, I found this really annoying as I prefer to have a clean desktop but would admit that this could come in handy if your not as fussy as I am.

The MicroSD slot was a nightmare! I had to use the stylus to insert and remove my 8gb MicroSD as the slot was sunken so deep a mere mortals fingers would struggle to get anything in our out of it.

If you were to ask me what I would change on this phone I would say remove the D-Pad, remove the app /program launcher at the bottom of the today screen, include a paper user manual, fix the software on the Mobile TV to allow for a quick scan, sort out the MicroSD slot and more preset Cities and strengthen the antenna. Having said all that there are a number of features I would hate to have changed such as GPS, SMS and FM radio.

Antenna View

Conclusion

I used the phone for over a week and found it very easy to use. Having never used another manufactures windows mobile device I was surprised to see that there was so much that could be tweaked / customised from one device to another and that Eten took advantage of this. I enjoyed using the phone and despite it’s downsides and would honest still buy one for the TV & Radio systems alone. I think it was a very bold move for Eten to include the TV on the phone but I think it was a move which will pay off for them.

If you are interested in this handset then why not pop over to CLOVE technology where you can pre-order this handset for £464.13 (Inc VAT).

Posted by: John

Sony Rolly (mini) review and video

I have to say, when Sony asked me to review the Sony Rolly I’d never heard of it, when they then explained it to me it sounded like a terrible idea. However, when it arrived a week ago and I’d had time to play with it I decided that it was actually quite cool.

The Sony Rolly

So what is the Sony Rolly? It’s actually quite difficult to define. Is it an MP3 player? Is it a toy? Is it a bluetooth speaker system? The answer to all of these questions is yes.

Looking a little like a rugby ball with wheels I expected the Rolly to be about that size, however, it actually fits comfortably in the palm of your hand.

The Rolly has 1 or 2GB of internal memory (depending on the model) which can hold your MP3 music. To transfer the music to the Rolly though you’ll have to use the supplied PC software called Rolly Choreographer. There’s no MAC version of this. The Automatic Choreography feature uses 12 tone analysis and beat analysis technology to analyse music on your Rolly, and then automatically creates motion that matches the music. You can manually work on the choreography if you want using the software too.

Sony Rolly on its Cradle

When you turn Rolly on its arms open to reveal the built in loudspeakers that are on each end. Now Rolly can be used as media player without any dance movements or you can press the play button again and Rolly enters dance mode.

The display-less Rolly will play MP3 files, as well as ATRAC, streamed via Bluetooth from your computer or mobile phone. It also contains sensors that know which way is up, so that volume can be adjusted by turning the player clockwise or anti-clockwise, tracks can be changed by rolling the player forwards or backwards or shaking it.

It’s probably easier to show you what the Rolly is all about rather than tell you so have a look at the video below:

So how do we define the Sony Rolly? I guess you’d have to call it an entertainment gadget. Everyone seems to like it but then goes on to ask what it’s for!

Rolly with its stand

Whether or not it’s worth the £175 price tag personally I would have to say no. Sony’s robot technology is spectacular and you’ll want to watch Rolly dance for a little while before it simple turns into and expensive set of bluetooth speakers. Granted the audio quality is good but for the price you could by a high capacity MP3 player and basic bluetooth speakers and still find change from the £175. I guess if you are a DJ or Club owner then the cost maybe more justifiable. Or maybe you just want to own one of R2-D2’s distant cousins?

Review by: Matt

Camcorder group test (Part 2) Panasonic SDR-S7 review

Panasonic SDR-S7 Review

Like everything else these days, personal video cameras or camcorders are getting smaller and more convenient to use. We’ve gone from wallet-busting shoulder mounted behemoths of the late 80’s using tape to compact handheld devices that fit in your pocket and which can be had for less than £200. The Panasonic SDR-S7 is a typical example of the new breed of camcorders that have made “home movies” so much more accessible for all of us by being low cost and convenient.

The Panasonic SDR-S7 camcorder

What’s in the box?

• SDR-S7 video camera
• USB lead
• AV cable
• Strap
• Printed manual
• Software CD
• Mains charger

General

I’m going to break with convention and avoid describing all the controls in detail as, by their nature, video cameras have a significant number of buttons, controls, menus and doo-dahs to operate them. However, controls have sensibly been kept to a minimum and this is undoubtedly a good thing when I watch how many people struggle with a normal digicam. Suffice to say, ease of use has been designed into the device and I found it remarkably easy to get to grips with without having to refer to the manual. This is a good test of any device and the Panasonic passes with distinction. I’m sure my mum could operate it!

The main control is a rotary switch that selects two operating modes for either motion picture recording, motion picture playback, still picture recording or still picture playback. To the left and above this switch is a menu select, auto-mode select, manual mode/auto-manual focus select and a 5-way cursor keypad for menu selection. On the top of the body there’s zoom-in/out controls and to the front on the right hand side next to the lens there’s a switch that opens or closes the lens cover (there’s no separate lens cover to be lost here – good thinking).
To the rear of the camera body behind a flap there’s a power jack, AV-out jack and USB socket for direct connection to a pc. Next to this is a dual function switch that either activates the camera shutter or starts/stops video filming. Now I realise that might sound fairly complicated, but in reality it’s not and in everyday use there’s only the rotary on/off mode select switch, the shutter release and the zoom controls to bother yourself about.

Panasonic SDR-S7 Specification:

• Battery: Li-ion VW-VBJ10, 3.6v/1000mAh
• Video resolution: Standard Definition
• Sensor size: 1/6" CCD 800k Pixels
• Video Recording Format: SD Memory Card, SDHC Memory Card,
• USB Connection: Yes
• Optical Zoom Factor: 10x
• Digital Zoom: 10x – 700x
• Image Stabiliser: Yes
• LCD Screen Size: 2.7", 123k pixels
• Built-In Flash: No
• MPEG movie mode: MPEG-1 layer 2
• Photo mode: Yes
• Photo mode resolution: 640×480 (jpeg)
• Media card: SDHC Card or SD Card,
• Sound: Stereo
• Manual exposure: Yes
• Manual white balance: Yes
• Backlight compensation: Yes
• Built-in light: No
• Shutter speed: 1/25^th 1/8000 sec (video), 1/25^th -1/500 sec (stills)
• Minimum light (Lux): 2 Lux (Colour Night View)
• Accessory shoe: No
• Analogue input: No
• External microphone socket: No
• Dimensions (WxHxD) mm: 41.0 x 59.0 x 102.0 mm
• Weight: 165g (camera only)

Highlights:

• Simple
• Compact
• Robust
• Uses SD cards
• Easy to use

Lowlights:

• Screen attracts dust and fingerprints
• Feels a bit cheap
• No conventional viewfinder

REVIEW

The Panasonic is an extremely compact device – in the hand with the screen closed it’s little bigger than many current mobile phones.

It’s easy to use and pretty much foolproof. Fold the screen out, power it on by using the rotary mode switch, selecting either video or still camera mode and, depending whether or not you use it at eye-level or waist-level, start filming by pressing the record button on the rear of the camera or the right side. The whole process takes less than 5 seconds with a very impressive start-up time. This reduces the chances of missing film-worthy action and helps to ensure you can capture those entertaining moments. The only potential gotcha here is forgetting to open the manual lens cover. I am sure we’ve all done that before!

There’s a manual focus mode and manual exposure mode that gives more control over the shooting options available, but to be honest that sort of defeats the object of this kind of camera. Its forte is quick operation and convenience so, the best thing to do is leave it in auto, leave the lens cover open, point it at your subject and get on with filming. It’s worth pointing out at this stage that if you are after high-quality footage then you should look beyond this unit. Resolution is 704 x 576 and, depending upon the recording mode used (there’s three levels of compression) you can expect to get between 50 minutes and 3.25hrs of footage on a 4GB SDHC card.

For a budget model the Panasonic copes quite well in low light levels which, is just as well because there is no built-in light. There was some discernible noise, but by the time it’s been mangled by YouTube or other online services it wouldn’t be noticeable.

Shooting with the camera at eye-level is not as natural or convenient as it would be with a more traditional kind using an optical or conventional viewfinder. In fact, I found using it in this manner resulted in wrist strain. However, it excels at waist level filming, which is a good technique to use if you want to remain fairly discrete. I can imagine this camcorder is ideal for parties and it’s the sort of device that I’d like strapped to the side of my motorcycle for a bit of fun.

The 10x optical zoom is fairly modest by camcorder standards – I didn’t investigate the digital zoom as this inevitably destroys image quality and, as a photographer, I am very fussy about that. The limited zoom isn’t an issue though because it encourages the user to get in closer which, almost always results in far better and more personal footage.

As a camera things are not so rosy. The resolution is very low at 640 x 480 making images look grainy and dull so, I would only ever use it in an emergency. There is no built-in flash so, it would only be usable in good light and therefore it’s no better than a very basic phone camera. In fact, you are probably better off using a camera phone. This might sound a bit harsh, but to be fair to Panasonic it’s not intended to be a still camera.

Battery life seemed to be adequate with about 1 – 1.25 hrs use being possible depending upon how much zooming in-out I did and what compression mode was used. It might not seem much, but it’s about par for most DV video cameras and enough considering its intended use.

Panasonic SDR-S7 battery and memory card

You can download a sample video – taken straight from the SDR-S7 memory card with this link.

Conclusion:

There’s much to like in a package like this. It’s compact, easy to use, convenient and fairly robust. At a push it can also double as a camera. At around £190 plus the cost of a high capacity SDHC card, the price is now within reach of many of us without causing the credit card to freak out. If you’re serious about filming then like most consumer devices you really should look elsewhere, but if you’re looking for something to publish to YouTube, your blog or for capturing little clips for family entertainment then there’s not much wrong with the Panasonic. I can’t see many of us being too dissatisfied with it and I’d be happy with one of these for casual everyday use.

Join me again soon for the next camera in the Camcorder Group Test or head over and look at Part 1 to see which cameras we are including or take a look at my Toshiba Camileo H10 review or Sanyo Xacti HD700 review.

Review by: Nigel

Palm Treo Pro Review

Palm are arguably the pioneer of the PDA right from the original Palm Pilot in the mid-90’s through to today’s Treo Pro. What started off as a modest 512kB PDA has today morphed into a sophisticated multimedia device. No longer a simple PDA, no longer a simple phone.

I am the owner of quite a few PDA’s of various flavours including Palms, Windows Mobile, Symbian and Psion. I was keen to see how the Treo Pro compared as it represents current state of art .

The Palm Treo Pro

Introduction

I’ve long been a quiet fan of Palm’s simple, but elegant and effective operating system. It’s never been sophisticated or particularly powerful, but it has always been very good at getting things done as a personal organiser. However, it’s been getting a bit long-in-the-tooth of late and hasn’t received much in the way of development over the last few years. As PDAs and mobile phones has converged into single devices I think it would be fairly accurate to say that it has just about reached the limit of its capabilities so, it’s no surprise to see that Palm now offers its latest devices with the more sophisticated Windows Mobile operating system instead. This might be a bitter pill for Palm diehards, but the truth is that Palm’s o/s is end of life when it comes to sophisticated media rich applications and multi-tasking.

Myself, I’m not sure of the merits of convergence. I prefer a phone to be very good at phone functions i.e. texting and calling. I like phones to be compact and easy to use. In my experience few converged devices fulfil these requirements well as there’s too many compromises in the design to accommodate all the diverse demands placed upon them.

What’s in the box?

• Treo Pro
• Battery
• Stylus
• Headphones
• Quick-start guide
• USB cable
• Mains charger with international plugs

See Matt’s Palm Treo Pro unboxing video for a more detailed look at what comes with it.

General

The Treo Pro’s packaging and contents are commendably lightweight and modest – useless leaflets and software CD’s have been discarded – the packaging is simple, clean and elegant. Software is already preloaded and Activesync used for synching the device to a Windows pc already comes preloaded on many PCs although, it’s necessary to upgrade to the latest version of Activesync.

In the hand the Treo Pro feels like a quality device which, is pleasing as it’s not inexpensive. Alas, like other machines I’ve reviewed recently, the glossy black finish is a greasy fingerprint magnet and my liking for greasy chips has yet to diminish. I would want to put a case on it very quickly to stop it looking grubby. The form factor is slim, but quite wide. Overall it is about the same size as a Treo 680 but noticeably thinner and it feels lighter.

Controls:

Bottom side: USB micro-connector, 3.5mm headphone socket

Palm Treo Pro bottom view

Top side: Ringer silence switch, radio mode select (wi-fi, bluetooth, phone etc)

Palm Treo Pro top view

Left side: Volume up/down, customisable button (pre-configured for camera)

Palm Treo Pro left side

Front face: Keypad; 5-way navigator key, 4 configurable softkeys for applications, phone/send key, END key

Palm Treo Pro front view

Back: Camera lens

Palm Treo Pro back view

Palm Treo Pro Specification:

• Microsoft® Windows Mobile® 6.1 Professional Edition
• Qualcomm^® MSM7201 400MHz
• 320×320 transflective colour TFT flush touchscreen  
• HSDPA/UMTS/EDGE/GPRS/GSM radio
• Tri-band UMTS – 850MHz, 1900MHz, 2100MHz Quad-band GSM – 850MHz, 900MHz, 1800MHz, 1900MHz
• 802.11b/g with WPA, WPA2, and 801.1x authentication
• Built-in GPS
• Bluetooth® 2.0 + Enhanced Data Rate; Infrared (IR)
• 256MB (100MB user available), 128MB RAM
• 2.0 megapixels with up to 8x digital zoom and video capture
• Removable, rechargeable 1500mAh lithium-ion; Up to 5.0 hours talk time and up to 250 hours standby
• microSDHC cards (up to 32GB supported)¹
• MicroUSB™ 2.0 for synchronization and charging
• 3.5mm stereo headset jack
• Length: 4.49", Width: 2.36", Depth: 0.53", Weight: 4.69 oz

Software on device

ActiveSync®; Adobe Reader LE; Bluetooth®; Bubble Breaker; Calculator; Calendar; Communications Manager; Contacts; File Explorer; Get WorldMate; GoogleMaps; Internet Explorer® Mobile; Messaging; Microsoft® Office Mobile including Excel® Mobile, OneNote Mobile, PowerPoint® Mobile, and Word Mobile; My Treo; Notes; Pics & Videos; QuickGPS; Quick Tour; SIM Manager; Solitaire; Sprite Backup; Streaming Media; Tasks; Telenav; Voice Command; Windows Live™; Windows Live™ Messenger; Windows Media® Player Mobile

Highlights:

• Clear and reliable phone calls
• Quality feel
• Bright and sharp screen
• Battery life
• Good connectivity.
• Good hardware specification.

Lowlights:

• Fiddly keypad
• Glossy finish attracts dust and fingerprints
• Windows Mobile 6 (it’s a Palm!)

Review

Although smaller than many dedicated PDAs, the 320 x 320 pixel screen is sharp and clear. It’s a shame then that Windows Mobile’s clumsy interface waste lots of screen estate and makes the screen feel small at times. The screen is flush with the main chassis and therefore at risk of picking up scratches and marks very quickly, however, putting a screen protector on it would really look like a kludge. Only time will tell how it stands up to daily use. As Matt has previously mentioned, the screen is an odd size which, may cause problems with some 3^rd party software so, it’s best you check with authors for compatibility before loading it up.

I was pleased to note that behind the fiddly-to-remove cover there lurked a separate user-replaceable battery. I absolutely loathe devices with batteries that cannot be readily changed by the user i.e. iPods – when they die as they inevitably do then the user is faced with an expensive return to factory job. For this reason alone I will not buy them.

For a weird left-handed person like myself the stylus was very awkward to access from its location in the bottom right corner of the device. Holding it in my right hand prevented any access to the stylus whereas, with the Treo 680, I can still get to the stylus easily because it’s located in the top right corner.

The keyboard is similar to the Treo 680’s. It’s about as easy/difficult to use as the Treo 680 albeit slightly more spongy in feel – it’s fine for texting and short e-mails but for anything longer you would need to be a masochist or very patient. The 5 way navigator key is more fiddly though and I found I repeatedly miskeyed – no doubt things would improve with practice. I did find it a bit difficult to select shift characters on the keyboard in subdued light because the keyboard backlighting was not very strong. This could be overcome to some extent by increasing the screen brightness, but this only increased the keyboard backlighting by a small amount.

As with many similar devices, the camera lens has no sliding cover so, it won’t be long before it’s covered in muck and dust thus rendering photo quality useless. The 2mp camera will suffice for occasional use, but that is all it’s good for. That’s no great criticism of the Palm though – let’s not fool ourselves, if you want to take decent photos then you buy a proper camera for the job.

Call quality was good with plenty of volume and the phone didn’t seem to have any trouble holding onto a signal. It did feel a bit odd holding it to my ear though in the same way as holding a normal PDA would – this is because the form factor is not what you would associate with a normal phone. Geek or not, I’d feel a bit of a berk walking down the street with it held to my ear! When trying to dial a number I found that the numbers on the keypad didn’t stand out well enough, in comparison dialling from my Ipaq 514 was easier.

The level of connectivity is what you would expect of a leading edge device. It has bluetooth and wi-fi. It also supports audio by A2DP allowing the use of bluetooth headphones for wireless playback which is handy for those of us who like to use our phones as mp3 players. Establishing a bluetooth or wi-fi connection is about as easy as it can be given the quirks of the o/s. Extended use of wi-fi sucks the battery dry in no-time at all, but otherwise battery life is very impressive and I managed 7 days in general use – this is much better than my Treo 680. I think Windows Mobile has improved massively in this area of late compared to previous incarnations as my HP Ipaq514 also has an excellent battery life.

I won’t go into any great detail about the o/s other than to say it’s Windows Mobile Pro 6.1 designed for touchscreen devices. As you might gather, I’m not really a fan of it as it’s neither particularly stable in the incarnations I have used, easy to use or elegant and tight as a mobile o/s should be. Although it’s a powerful and flexible o/s, I feel that the GUI is clumsy and operations require far too many clicks/taps to achieve things. However, until a pocket Linux becomes available (Nokia N800 and Google’s Android notwithstanding) or Palm delivers a completely new o/s then it’s pretty much all we have these days. These observations about the o/s are no fault of the machine itself. Now having said all that, I will confess that the Treo Pro it didn’t crash once which, is a significant improvement over previous versions. Resets on my Axim x50v are a way of life.

The Palm Treo Pro

Conclusion:

The Treo’s hardware itself is very lovely and feels good to hold. It’s not too bulky and looks trick. As a phone the Treo Pro is just about ok given the limitations placed upon it by being a converged device – it’s no worse than many other similar devices. As a multimedia device/communicator it’s excellent with all the functionality and whistles you could want. Whether or not you can put up with the foibles of Windows Mobile is up to you. In terms of cost it is significantly cheaper than much of the Windows Mobile competition and therefore is quite good value.

Myself? I am still looking for the perfect converged device, but the Treo Pro is about as good as you will get at the moment.

Review by: Nigel

BenQ E72 review

New as I was to Windows Mobile I was intrigued by the BenQ E72 a fully functioning smart phone operating using windows mobile 6.0 and all for a price tag of just over £100? So could the days of paying not such smart prices for a smart phone be over? Well the BenQ E72 certainly hopes to achieve just that.

The 10 second review:
Device: BenQ E72
Cost: SIM free only: £101.99 (£91.99 with our discount voucher!)
Available from: eXpansys (Go and buy one from here)
Summary: A great introduction to Windows Mobile for new users and a neat, well designed Smartphone for WM veterans.
Best of: price, size and looks
Worst of: MicroSD limited to 2GB

The BenQ E72 Smartphone

At around £100 the BenQ E72 entry level Windows Mobile phone offering many features that you would expect to find on higher priced handsets at a fraction of the cost. This device could well entice new users away from the likes of Nokia and Samsung. I’m totally new to Windows Mobile myself and so perhaps well placed to review the E72 on that basis.

BenQ E72 Specification:

• 240 x 320 pixels, 2 inches TFT, 65K colours Display
• 2 MP Camera, 1600×1200 pixels, video
• 108 x 46 x 13 mm (90 g)
• Bluetooth v2.0 with A2DP
• 64MB DDR RAM (24MB user memory)
• Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g
• Microsoft Windows Mobile 6.0
• WAP 2.0/xHTML, HTML, Email, MSN
• microSD (TransFlash) Slot. (Supports up to 2GB)
• MPEG4/WMV/3GP player
• MP3/AAC/AAC+/WAV/WMA player

General

The phone is easy on the eye with sleek styling that is very similar to previous BenQ phones, it feels small in the hand similar to a standard candy bar phone rather than a Windows Mobile Smartphone, however feels substantial and fairly weighty for a phone of its size.

The front of the phone is fairly not eventful with not great design features that particularly stand out. The screen is a decent size with the 2 menu buttons located just below and the call buttons bellow that. There is a 4 directional button for navigation and in the middle of this is the select button. Housed on the red bar are the return & home buttons and sitting below this is the numerical keypad, no QWERTY keyboard for this smartphone.

BenQ E72 front view

The back of the phone as you would expect fairly plain however does house a 2.0 MP camera. The phone is home to a Li-Ion 900 mAh and also located under the battery cover is the MicroSD slot which will support up to 2GB and of course the SIM card holder just above this.

BenQ E72 back views

The left side of the E72 is simplistic and surprisingly lacking button wise compared to other smart phones. There are two thin buttons one which is used for quick access to messages and the other will initialise the phones voice recorder for memos etc.

BenQ E72 Left side

Again just the two buttons on the right hand side used to control headset volume, the right side is also home to a mini USB connector used for charging and also as a headphone connection.

BenQ E72 right side

Nothing to be found on either the top or the bottom of the E72.

BenQ E72 top and bottom view

Highlights & Lowlights

+ Low Price

+ WiFi

+ Windows Mobile 6.0

-Slow Processor

-Low Memory support

Review

The BenQ E72 dares to be different by offering all the benefits of windows mobile without the large price tag and having to carry a brick around in your pocket. At first view the E72 looks pleasant with simplistic styling and a minimalist feel especially when it comes to buttons. The Screen is a decent size for a phone of this size and is certainly adequate for viewing emails and messages however feels a little on the small side when it comes to watching videos & clips. The phone is certainly small for a smart phone and even small for a standard Candy Bar phone however as I said it feels substantial and solid enough with some weight to it and certainly feels like a good quality handset. The addition of a QWERTY keypad would have been simply for using it for email and browsing IE. However with the phone the size it is a full size keypad would simply not be practical so there has to be some compromise. The 2MP Camera and video functionality is a nice addiction and to find this teamed with windows mobile all for around £100 is fantastic value.

Using windows mobile the phone has all of the features associated with this including Internet Explorer and windows media player which allows you to view videos and listen to your favourite music however with all the available options it would have been nice if the phone were to support a larger MicroSD card than the 2GB support it offers which in many phones is perfectly acceptable however in the scale of things within this smart phone it feels small picture like having a desktop PC at home with only a 50GB Memory, however that said I didn’t find myself using this phone for listening to music or watching large video files anyway.

Windows Mobile offers fantastic features which are fantastic to use however due to the phones small processor obviously related to its price applications were often slow and the phone often felt clumsy when loading certain files and folders, however it was certainly not an unbearable amount of time but while these applications were loading I had time to remember that this is a smart phone with full Windows Functionality, WiFi and all for a shade over £100 which soon makes you forget the few seconds extra you have to wait.

The E72 also has a built in voice recorder which is always helpful when recoding memos or notes and with the quick start button on the side of the phone is very easy to get started using this feature, although the E72 is a smart phone and is likely to be used as such for checking emails and wireless connectivity due to its low price tag it is likely to attract other customers and they are catered for with games, ringtone creator, video features as well as the obviously playback of music and videos.

Browsing the internet using the E72 was easy with built in WiFi and Internet explorer. Often mobile internet is considered as a tedious business however has to be done however I found it enjoyable and very easy. IE. On the E72 is very similar to a desktop PC in fact is almost identical however obviously due to the screen size more navigation is required but that is an easy compromise to make.

Conclusion

Overall the E72 is a good phone with its minimalist style and simplistic layout with regards to buttons etc. It is very easy to use and windows mobile 6.0 plays a big part in this as it allows for easy navigation of the handset, however due to the phones small processor you will often be reminded that this is a budget smart phone but that said considering it is a budget smart phone it is a very good budget smart phone with great connectivity and ease of use. The E72 would be perfect for the enterprising university graduate just starting out in the rat race with its great blend of work and pleasure the E72 with windows mobile an enjoyable phone to use and all for a fantastic price. The E72 is what is it is and fantastic for it.

Review by: Nick

Soul Calibur IV review

Console games are not something that we would typically cover here on tracyandmatt but when Namco got in touch with me a couple of months ago about the release of the fourth chapter of Soul Calibur I agreed to do a review for them.

Similar to it’s predecessors Soul Calibur IV continues the barrage of fast paced violence and continued onslaught of over endowed scantily clad female protagonists that many gamers have come to love of the lifespan of this somewhat iconic albeit miss spelled franchise.

Many of the series previous characters return in this the forth instalment of the game with the addition of some new and somewhat special playable characters. The character list is solid with each of the characters having there own unique style and armoury however successfully remaining even with regards to ability and skill. The game contains 26 standard characters and a few more unlockables along the way so offers a fairly expansive roster.. The guests in this game come in the form of Darth Vader & The secret Apprentice also seen in star wars: the force unleashed. These are welcome additions to the game as they add some familiarity to gamers who have not experienced the Soul Calibur series before and there unique skills also make them a great asset. If the characters in the game do not do it for you than there is a fairly comprehensive create a fighter allowing you to customize your perfect star.

There are several options to choose from when it comes to getting stated Story which offers your chosen character the chance to battle there was through a number of opponents before reaching the boss at the end of the stage the killing of whom leads to the collection of items and collectables. The story mode though is a little weak as it can be completed in a short amount of time and offers little variety leading to a tedious continuation which does wear thin after a while, that said it is the best way to experience all the fantastic characters and settings for the battles. Arcade mode is the standard pick up and play, selecting 2 characters to do battle through a number of rounds, perfect for those interested in a quick and brutal fight without the need for interruptions in the form of scene setting. Training is very useful and certainly recommended to those who are yet to play a title from the Soul Calibur franchise.

Graphically this game is fantastic the characters look great and so do the environments with chunks of debris flying from the surface as your opponent is slammed into the ground. The new feature which allows for the breakdown of opponents armour leaving them more open to attacks works really well and looks fantastic integrated perfectly into the battle really adding an element of realism or as realistic as a fight between Darth Vader & a small Japanese girl in a fire infested pit can be, speaking of girls the female characters in the game seem slightly overdone with regards to there assets where as I am sure this will please a certain demographic seems a little unnecessary. if it has always annoyed you when the button basher shows his face in multiplayer mode well it has been slightly improved as now if a player blocks to much you will be able to destroy a part of there armour making them more susceptible to damage and also teamed with un-blockable special attacks button bashing has just got allot harder.

As mentioned earlier the game is very easy to pick up and play and little to no experience of the Soul Calibur franchise is required to play as although button bashing has been reduced there are still a limited number of attacks and combinations it plays in a very similar way to other beat em ups so if you have played any in the past you will be away with Soul Calibur IV. This is just one of the beauties of Soul Calibur IV. The fun factor is instantly increased by the simple control system as it eliminates the frustration and anger caused by other titles. The lifespan of Soul Calibur IV depends hugely on how much enjoyment you get from the title. The story mode will certainly not keep you tied up for long however with the large number of characters and environments to enjoy the game should keep you happy for a good few months.

Overall Soul Calibur IV is a solid title, it combines fantastic graphics and a depth of realism unmatched by any other next gen beat em up. The immersive gameplay and the large selection of characters teamed with great environments and many new features will keep gamers happy for some time to come. A great title however a more in depth and varied story line would be very much appreciated.

Review by: Nick

TouchPal v3.5 review

Which is the easiest and best method for text input? This has been debated and discussed by the masses for quite some time. For me the best is TouchPal, why?

It’s Cool!

• "Flow" your keyboard by sweeping with your finger! 
• Switch between three layouts: T+, Full-Qwerty, 9-key PhonePad. 
• Resize your keyboard anytime!

It’s Easy!

• Big buttons. Finger friendly. 
• Up to 300 chars/min, faster than your hard keyboard! 
• Input puntuations, numbers and uppercase letters without view switching

It’s Smart!

• Powerful mistyping correction
• Clever prediction based on context
• Predict next word

It’s Innovative!

• T+ technology. Predictive + Precise.
• Word association
• Super big dictionaries (40,000 English words, 140,000 French words…)

It’s Customisable!

• "My Sentences" with parameters (e.g., "See you in X mins")
• Customisable emotion symbols (e.g. :-o, ^_^)
• You can develop your own layout or language pack with SDK tool.

Features

Software

Easily installed by either .exe file on your PC or .cab file on your Windows device, once launched there is a 15 day trial of the full professional version, after which time the software reverts back to the standard version if you do not wish to purchase the professional version for $12.98.

Here you can find the video demo.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xfMrJ7Cci_A&eurl=http://www.cootek.com/intro.aspx

Unfortunately there are far too many options to explain in detail but a lot of the highlights are captured above. Things I especially like are the ability to save whole sentences that you commonly use, the ability to quickly switch keyboard dependant on what you are doing, illustrated in the picture below, I tend to stick with the first one, as each key allows 4 way inputs, on each tab you can enter any of the characters depicted for example the e-r tab can be used to enter e,r, E,R, 2 and ? all from the one key. Word prediction, as well as next word prediction and mistyping correction also very helpful. Head over to the website, link at the bottom for more details.

It is very fast, don’t get me wrong you will need to practice and get used to the systems, at first it is easy to give up and find something else, but patience and persistence is definitely rewarded. I do not get up the claimed speeds of 300 characters per minute but it certainly can motor!

New Diamond skin

Review

I have tried many different input methods, ranging from the standard windows keyboards to HTC PhonePad,  PocketCM, TenGo etc. The first thing I do these days when Matt sends me a unit to review is install TouchPal.

For me it is as about developed as it needs to be, if I have one criticism it is that in landscape I would like the keyboard to cover the length of the screen to hopefully allow larger keys.

Landscape view.

Conclusion

This one is for me and I am happy to recommend it to any Windows Mobile fan, which methods do you prefer and why?

For more details head over to http://www.cootek.com/

Review by: Steve