Navas' Tips

USB 3.0 Flash Drives

2011-11-26T10:11:00.000-08:00

USB 3.0 ("SuperSpeed"), now becoming a reality, can be up to 10 times faster than USB 2.0 (Hi-Speed), but many early USB 3.0 products are disappointing, not all that much faster than USB 2.0 products, particularly in the case of USB flash drives. Because flash memory writing is relatively slow, higher speeds are only possible with advanced multiple-channel controllers and large RAM buffers, which cheaper products lack. A good choice for high performance is Patriot Supersonic:

Supersonic Xpress

2-channel memory controller
8GB, 16GB: Up to 50MB/s read, 20MB/s write
32GB: Up to 60MB/s read, 25MB/s write

Supersonic

4-channel memory controller
32GB, 64GB: Up to 100MB/s read, 70MB/s write

Supersonic Magnum

8-Channel technology
64GB, 128GB: Up to 200MB/s read, 120MB/s write

If your laptop/notebook computer lacks USB 3.0 ports, a good solution is the StarTech flush ExpressCard Adapter:

If your desktop/tower computer lacks USB 3.0 ports, a good solution is the SYBA USB 3.0 2-port PCI-e Controller Card (based on the Etron EJ168 chip, which is faster than more common NEC/Renesas chips).

Favorite Android Apps updated

2011-10-23T13:25:00.000-07:00

See my major update to my Favorite Android Apps!

Windows 8 Preview

2011-10-13T08:06:00.000-07:00

The Windows 7 UI (user interface) is significantly improved over Windows XP, but both suffer from the ancient PC app-centric paradigm, in which often huge monolithic apps (like Microsoft Office) are launched to do simple tasks, which is slow and painful on even the fastest hardware. Yes, we can leave multiple apps running, but that's confusing to average users, and tends to consume huge amounts of system resources (hurting performance). Attempts to make the PC document-centric haven't really helped. This is a big part of the reason that Google is developing Chrome OS for lightweight cloud-centric PC computing.

Part of the appeal of Google Android and Apple IOS is that they are task-centric, with lightweight tasks (apps) designed to be suspended and restarted quickly and seamlessly. When you're in (say) Gmail in Android, you can touch Home and then (say) Maps to quickly switch to that task, with Gmail suspended in the background consuming relatively few system resources, and if Android needs those resources, it can kill Gmail while saving state information for a fast restart. If you then touch Home and Gmail again, you are right back where you left off in Gmail whether Gmail is being awakened or restarted. You never have to close an app. There's really no way to do this in Windows without a huge performance hit and/or a huge amount of re-engineering that isn't going to happen. Plus cloud-centric computing is already built into Android, and now into IOS as well (the biggest part of the iPhone 4S announcement).

Another part of the appeal of Android and IOS is the ability to easily merge disparate sources into one UI component; e.g., a widget that merges phone (Google) contacts, Facebook contacts, Twitter contacts, etc. Windows 8 is an attempt to do this on the PC, but since it fails to solve the app-centric paradigm issue, I don't think it's going to be all that successful -- Windows users have too much invested in current apps and how they work. What I think Microsoft really needs is a new cloud-centric desktop OS (like Chrome), but the Windows 8 Preview isn't even half that loaf. Microsoft may now get it, but apparently lacks the courage to do it.

Electronic Fax

2011-07-16T11:43:00.000-07:00

Despite the explosive shift to digital communications, there can still sometimes be a need for old-style analog facsimile (fax), but thanks to the Internet it's no longer necessary to have a fax machine and fax phone line.
The principal drawback to Internet fax can be cost, in that many Internet fax services are monthly subscription plans, but if your needs are modest, here's how to do fax over the Internet on the cheap (best deals as of this writing):

Incoming: Free service from eFax. You'll be given an incoming fax number, and your incoming faxes will be sent to you by email. To view (or print) faxes received by email, you'll need to download and install eFax Messenger software.
Outgoing: Pay As You Go service from Fax1. Currently $0.12 per delivered page to the USA. (International rates here) $1 free trial credit to get started; buy more credit as needed. Download and install FaxBlaster software to print to fax from any software on your computer, or use any of several other faxing options. (Use the incoming eFax number when setting up your outgoing Fax1 account.)

Scratched CD/DVD/BD

2011-07-01T15:42:00.000-07:00

When you have trouble playing or reading an optical disc, CD, DVD, or BD (Blu-ray Disc), the first thing to do is clean the disc. And there's no need for fancy cleaners – just hand wash the disc with mild dish soap (nothing abrasive), rinse thoroughly, and dry with soft cloth (not paper towel).

If that doesn't do the trick the disc may be scratched, which interferes with the laser pickup. There are expensive kits available to fix scratches in optical discs, but what can do the job more cheaply in many cases is simple furniture polish (e.g., Pledge™). Just spray on generously, polish thoroughly with soft absorbent cloth, and make sure it's completely dry before trying to play or read it.

If it doesn't work, then the disc probably needs to be replaced.

Coffee Grinders under $100

2011-06-09T11:38:00.000-07:00

Cuisinart DBM-8

Grinding your own coffee is essential for great tasting coffee, and the best grinders are burr mill. They tend to be much more expensive than blade grinders, but there are a few burr mill grinders that are both good and affordable:

Cuisinart DBM-8 Supreme Grind Automatic Burr Mill
Essentially an enlarged and improved version of a grinder originally sold under the Braun label, does a nice job at an affordable price. $50
Krups GVX-series Burr Grinder
Compact, simple and effective. Two similar models. $60
Capresso Infinity Conical Burr Grinder
Very good grinder, easier to clean than the Cuisinart (and Krups), but not quite as convenient to use. $90-140

Coffee Roasting at Costco

2011-06-09T11:01:00.000-07:00

While all Costco warehouse locations sell coffees, a few of them also roast coffee on premises, and the result is generally superior to the other coffees. Locations near the San Francisco Bay Area that roast coffee on premises:

Favorite Android App: QuickPic

2011-06-01T08:13:00.000-07:00

Latest addition to my list of Favorite Android Apps is QuickPic, a replacement for the stock Gallery app for image (picture) viewing that's much more elegant, efficient, and fast!

Favorite Android App: Equalizer

2011-05-25T11:06:00.001-07:00

Latest addition to my list of Favorite Android Apps is Equalizer, a great tool for adjusting sound frequencies and effects on Gingerbread (version 2.3) and later versions of Android.

Worthy Netbook Computer At Last!

2011-05-23T11:13:00.001-07:00

Netbook computers are a great idea – portables with good battery life and real keyboards that are less expensive, smaller and lighter than typical notebook/laptop computers, but up to now they have been flawed by poor performance (processor and graphics), small low-resolution glossy screens that are hard to read in bad lighting, poor keyboards, limited RAM memory, and lackluster design. It's no wonder that tablets like the Apple iPad have been giving them a run for their money. But now that's changing thanks to a new breed of netbooks powered by AMD Fusion APUs, which feature CPU and GPU on a single chip resulting in good performance with relatively low power consumption (good battery life).

The best of these new netbooks is the Lenovo ThinkPad X120e (awarded Best Affordable Business Ultraportable at CES 2011):

Very well built and supported
Superb full-size keyboard with both TouchPad and TrackPoint
Non-glare (matte) 11.6" screen with high 1366x768 resolution and LED backlight
Very good performance, more like a notebook than a netbook
Up to 4GB RAM
Fast 320GB 7200rpm SATA Hard Drive
Excellent connectivity (Wi-Fi, gigabit Ethernet, 3 USB 2.0, SD slot, Bluetooth)
Webcam
Small and light

Look for sales on the Lenovo website to bring the total price under $500 with free shipping. (Through May 26, 2011, a fully loaded configuration can be had for only $428 here, no Visa card needed, just apply displayed coupon at checkout.)

MY OWN REVIEW (based on 2 hours of intensive use of a ThinkPad X120e with 1GB RAM, should be faster with 2-4GB RAM)

Fit and finish is very good, case not rubberized like ThinkPad T-series, but still a nice matte black.
Machine itself is quite light, with much of the total weight in the battery.
Keyboard is very good, with nice key travel, albeit not quite as rigid as older ThinkPad T-series.
Both TouchPad and TrackPoint provide excellent response and accuracy.
Single headset (smartphone-type TRRS) socket instead of separate microphone and headphone sockets makes sense.
Screen is sharp, on par with higher resolution ThinkPad T-series.
Software (OS, utilities, Microsoft Word) is responsive and snappy, programs opening quickly and running cleanly, with little apparent difference versus a more powerful laptop, even when running more than one program at the same time.
Video playback was smooth even at full screen when accelerated, although it was sometimes a little jerky when not accelerated.
Did not test webcam, speakers or microphone.

DISAPPOINTMENTS

As compared to ThinkPad T-series, screen has lower contrast and less even backlighting.
No ThinkLight or other keyboard illumination, a glaring (inexcusable) flaw.
No SSD option.

UPDATE: The X120e is being replaced by the X121e, which may make the X120e more affordable until supplies are gone.

How To Restore Google Chrome

2011-05-22T08:47:00.001-07:00

Google Chrome is an excellent web browser, fast and secure, but you might get the error message: "Your preferences file is corrupt or invalid. Google Chrome is unable to recover your settings." This unfortunate bug can normally be fixed with Windows Vista or Windows 7 using the following procedure:

Close any Chrome windows that might be open.
Click Windows Start at left end of Task Bar, put the following in Search Box or Run, and press [Enter]:
%LOCALAPPDATA%\Google
That should open an Explorer window with folders including "Chrome".
Right-click on the "Chrome" folder, and then click "Restore previous versions" in the pop-up menu to open the Chrome Properties window.
Click to select the top (most recent) version, and then click "Restore...".
That should pop up a confirmation window ("Are you sure you want to restore..."). Click Restore.
Windows should then copy a bunch of files to restore Chrome, finishing with
"The folder has been successfully restored to the previous version."
Click OK to close the message, then close the Properties and Explorer windows.
Launch Chrome. If you get a "didn't shut down properly" message just close it with the "X" at the right (or ignore it).

Notes:

This procedure is covered in Windows 7 Help and Support under "Recover lost or deleted files" in the section "To restore a file or folder to a previous state".
You can try restoring an earlier version if necessary.

Manage Passwords on PC, Android, and more

2011-04-05T12:27:00.000-07:00

Many (most?) people make the serious mistake of using a single password for multiple online sites. The reason this is a bad idea is when online sites get broken into, which happens all too often, passwords can be stolen that provide access to other sites, contributing to identity theft and serious losses; e.g., your compromised social networking site giving bad guys access to your online banking site.

The best way to protect against this risk is to use different (strong) passwords for different sites, so the compromise of any one site affects only that one site. Many (most?) people don't do that because it seems like so much hassle. But it really isn't -- software exists that easily generates and manages unique strong passwords -- all you have to do is remember one (strong) master password that you don't use for anything else. Your other passwords are stored in a secure encrypted database file.

A related problem if you use more than one networked device (computer, tablet, smartphone) is having your passwords available on all of them. Fortunately there is a very good, free, open, and secure password manager that runs on many different types of devices: KeePass. The port for Android is called KeePassDroid. (Just be sure to use KeePass version 1 to ensure greatest compatibility.)

To share your password database between your networked devices you can use a "cloud" service like DropBox. (And since your password database is encrypted, you don't need to worry about DropBox security.)

Strongly recommended. Do it. Today.

Favorite Android Apps

2011-04-03T07:54:00.000-07:00

Android apps I use and recommend (with links to Android Market):

AContact (new!)
Advanced Contact management
Adobe Flash Player
View website Flash content
AndFTP
Download and upload files by FTP
Antennas
Display nearby cellular towers and signal strength
App Cache Cleaner
Free up memory by clearing cached data
BeyondPod
Best podcatcher for Android (download or stream podcasts)
B&H Photo Video Pro Audio (new!)
Best online source of photo, video, audio, computers, and more
Blogger
Update your Google Blog from Android
Chrome to Phone
Send content to Android from Google Chrome browser on your PC
ColorDict Dictionary Translate
Excellent customizable dictionary, translations too
ConvertPad - Unit Converter
Wide range of unit conversions
Craigslist Notification
Automatic search for stuff on craigslist
dMarks (new!)
Best way to access and manage Browser Bookmarks
Docs (new!)
Google has finally made Docs relevant to Android
Download All Files (new!)
Makes it possible to download pretty much anything
eBay (new!)
The official app is now pretty good
Equalizer
Adjust frequencies and sound effects (Gingerbread and later)
ES File Explorer
Best file manager for Android
exoScribe (new!)
Save and edit notes as regular text files (unlike other apps)
Fandango (new!)
Buy movie tickets online
GasBuddy
Check gas station prices around you
Gesture Search
Great way to access your Apps, Bookmarks, Contacts, etc
Go SMS Pro
Messaging redefined, powerful and flexible
Google Voice
Voice telephony redefined, excellent
GPS Test (new!)
Detailed GPS information, including exact location and time
Groundhog Newreader
Best Usenet article reader for Android
Groupon (new!)
Must have for Groupon junkies
IMDb
Internet Movie Database, reference for movies
KeePassDroid
Securely manage and share passwords between Android and PC
Log Collector
Send Android System Log to developer after an app crashes
MortPlayer Audio Book
Best audio book player for Android
Movies
Flixster movie app, reviews, showtimes, and more
Music (Google Beta) (new!)
Stream your music from the cloud
My Tracks
Google app great for hiking, records your track
NetCounter
Keeps track of wireless data usage
Newegg (new!)
One of the best sellers of electronic gear on the Internet
NoLED (new!)
Display notifications over your lock screen
OpenTable
Find restaurants and make reservations
Pandora
Awesome free music streaming service
Prey
Protects your Android against theft or loss
QuickMark (new!)
Best QR code scanner and generator for Android
QuickPic
Image viewer that's elegant, efficient, and faster than stock Gallery app
RepliGo Reader
Best way to view PDF documents on Android (better than Adobe)
SendContact (new!) Share your contacts in various ways
Shaddapp (new!)
Best app sharing for Android
Shopper
Google's nice shopping app, look up products by bar code
SoundHound
Amazing way to recognize and identify songs
Speed Test
Check your wireless data speed
Starbucks
Official way to pay and to manage your account
Superpages
Online yellow pages
Swype
Great keyboard alternative, tracing faster than typing
TuneIn Radio
Excellent Internet radio
Widgetsoid
Great way to control your Android from Notification Bar
Wifi Analyzer
Display nearby Wi-Fi access points and signal strength
Yelp
Local merchants with ratings

So which Android smartphone do I use?
Nexus S, pure Android, best smartphone for my needs.

Updated: October 23, 2011

Security Lock for Portable Computer

2011-03-30T09:47:00.000-07:00

Leave your laptop/notebook/netbook computer unattended and you may well become a victim of "grab and run", the most common kind of computer theft, which can happen even when you are using it. Portable computers are a tempting target for thieves because they are so easily fenced.

To prevent this kind of theft, pretty much all portable computers have a Kensington Security Slot, a small reinforced hole for a locking mechanism that looks somewhat like but a bit smaller than a USB slot.

A variety of computer locks are available ranging from complete junk to complete overkill. A good balance of function, security, and convenience is the Targus DEFCON CL PA410U, which features a 4-digit combination lock (no key to lose) that you can set to the combination of your choice. (It won't stop a determined thief with heavy bolt cutters, but pretty much nothing will.) Find a good price with Google Shopper.

Knots Every Sailor Should Know

2011-03-15T11:06:00.000-07:00

These eight knots will cover 99.9% of your marine knot needs.

[click links to more information and instructions on how to tie]

Alpine Butterfly

Alpine Butterfly (animation)
Strong and secure, will not shake out, will not jam, better than bowline. (Use Method #4 instead of bowline.)
Bowline (animation)
Strong, easy to tie, but can shake out if not locked.
Buntline Hitch (animation)
Great knot for halyards, securing fenders to lifelines, etc, but can jam.
Cleat Hitch
Use for securing ropes to cleats.
Figure Eight Knot (animation)
Good stopper knot, can be adapted for other purposes.
Sailor's Gripping Hitch
Great for securing one rope to another rope under load.
Slipped Half Hitch
Fast quick-release knot for sail ties and bags, not secure.
Square (Reef) Knot (animation)
Famously used for tying reef points in sails.

Sheet Bend is deliberately omitted because it's weak and unreliable.
Two Alpine Butterflys tied to each other is a better alternative,
or the Alpine Butterfly Bend (for ropes of similar thickness).

More Knot Resources

Carbon Fiber Spinnaker Pole Repair

2011-03-14T12:42:00.000-07:00

When our 14-foot carbon fiber spinnaker pole snapped (due to excessive lateral loading) and we were confronted with a very expensive dilemma (a thousand dollars for repair by professional riggers or thousands of dollars for a new pole), we managed to repair our pole ourselves, quickly and much less expensively, by means of a repair tube custom built for us by Jeffery Kent of Composite Solutions Inc, who:

promptly built a 3-foot carbon fiber tube to match the outside diameter of our pole,
machined down the ends to match the inside diameter of our pole,
leaving a center section to replace the broken pieces we cut away from our pole, and
rushed it to us by air.

We bonded the two pieces of our broken pole with epoxy to the machined ends of the custom repair tube, and the resulting repaired pole both looks and works great. (To complete the repair we will wrap the repaired area and clear coat to protect it.)

Highly recommended.

Free Sailing Lesson on the Water | Berkeley

2011-02-04T11:16:00.000-08:00

The Cal Sailing Club, a non-profit, volunteer-run sailing club located in Berkeley gives free Beginning/Intermediate/Advanced Sailing Lessons on Monday and Thursday afternoons at 1pm.

To take a sailing lesson come to the clubhouse at 1:00 PM. Lessons are taught on a first-come, first-served basis by qualified fellow Cal Sailing members.

You don’t need any gear whatsoever. We have loaner gear for everything you need…. everything from the boat to life jackets to sailing bibs to foul weather jackets – even wetsuits if you would like to get really wet. All of these are available in a variety of sizes for you to borrow while sailing.

Questions? Give Cal-Sailing member Joel a call at 510-343-5635

What Can you Learn at This Sailing Lesson? A Cal Sailing beginning sailing lesson typically provides an hour and a half on the water with one instructor and up to four students in a 15′ dinghy sailboat.

Students rig the boats (put them in the water and raise the sails). On the water, each student gets about twenty minutes at the helm (driving the boat) to practice steering, adjusting the mainsail, coming about and jibing, man overboard drill (picking up a float from the water), hiking out (using your weight to balance the sails’ force), docking, and other maneuvers. When not at the helm, the other students practice keeping watch and applying right of way rules, adjusting the jib (front sail), hiking out, and identifying wind direction and point of sail (angle of boat relative to wind). Students who pass the written, rigging, and sailing test (and contribute 2 hrs extra work) get the Junior Skipper rating that allows them to practice and take out friends and family in club boats.

Android apps for Sailing/Racing

2011-01-24T11:06:00.000-08:00

If you have an Android smartphone, these are the sailing/racing apps I use and recommend:

Beer Can Racer
Tactical racing app, much like a held-held GPS but with racing specific features. Excellent, but still a work in progress.
EarthNC
Display of NOAA raster marine charts. Excellent, but still a work in progress.
Marine Traffic
Displays real-time data for (mostly commercial) vessels with AIS. Excellent, but still a work in progress, try the mobile website as well.
Tide Prediction
Best of the (mostly mediocre) tide apps for Android.

Also useful (when you have a data connection) are these mobile websites:

NDBC mobile (real time data from buoys)
NOAA mobile (weather related information)
PORTS SF text screen (real time data for San Francisco Bay)

So which Android smartphone do I use?
Nexus S, pure Android, best smartphone for my needs.

Healthcare: we do live in interesting times!

2010-03-22T11:07:00.000-07:00

Passage of healthcare reform, whether you're for or against this particular bill, is an amazing landmark event that I frankly feared would never happen in my lifetime. I have my reservations about the bill, but something had to be done, and any sort of action is better than prolonged inaction. Congratulations to the courage and conviction of both President Obama and the Democratic party!

"At every crossway on the road that leads to the future, each progressive spirit is opposed by a thousand men appointed to guard the past." -Maeterlinck

UPDATE (December 13, 2010): A federal judge in Virginia has ruled the insurance mandate (one of my reservations) to be unconstitutional. If upheld, this will probably wipe out the insurance reforms, further calling into question this particular exercise. I still applaud the effort, but now think it was probably the wrong idea at the wrong time. The top priorities should have been economic recovery and jobs (and the home mortgage mess).

LED Headlamp/Flashlight

2010-03-18T11:12:00.000-07:00

The best LED flashlight/headlamp I've found for boating at night is the Photon Freedom Fusion. Click the link and scroll down for full information. Notably:

Red as primary or secondary color
Full range dimmer
AA (not AAA) batteries
Safety beacon modes
Water resistant
Rugged
Headlamp or flashlight
Constant brightness

UPDATE: I've now learned that red color doesn't really preserve night vision -- what matters is (low) light intensity, not color (see Night Vision, The Red Myth), but the Photon Freedom Fusion (White) is still a good choice, because it's fully dimmable.

Your Own Logo Gear in Your Own Storefront

2010-03-16T17:52:00.000-07:00

It's cool to have logo gear (hats, shirts, etc) for a boat you cruise or race on, and it's even cooler when the crew gear matches.

You can of course order custom logo gear from a wide variety of suppliers, but that usually means the hassle and expense of ordering in quantity.

A good way to avoid such hassles is to use a supplier that makes it possible for you to have your own "storefront". Some will even host your storefront for free, with no order minimums. Once you've designed your logo (for which there is typically a reasonable setup charge), your crew can order what they want without having to design or coordinate orders.

Storefront suppliers:

SSD or 7200 RPM Hard Drive?

2010-02-25T08:39:00.000-08:00

SSD (Solid-State Drive, based on non-volatile memory) has finally come of age, and is now a realistic alternative to rotating hard disk drives for certain purposes.

Pro

Fast read speed
Low latency (delay)
Low power
Silent
Instant starting
No moving parts

Con

Cost
Write speed not as good as read speed
Performance decrease over time
More limited lifespan

It's important to note that there are great differences in performance between different SSD, with the slowest and least expensive SSD (e.g., OCZ "Value Series" SSD) not significantly better than 5^th generation 7200 RPM hard disk drives (see 7200 RPM Laptop/Notebook Hard Drives) despite being considerably more expensive, with average read and write speeds (higher is better) of about 80 MB/s. Only much more expensive premium SSD (e.g., OCZ Vertex) offer substantial increases in performance.

It's also important to note even a premium SSD provides only a modest system performance gain (on the order of about 15% overall) as compared to hard disk. Is that worth the cost and other drawbacks?

Best Product

OCZ Vertex (200MB/s read, 160MB/s write)
Find it at the OCZ Store

Honorable Mention

Intel X-25M (250MB/s read, 70MB/s write)
Find It Online with Google Products

7200 RPM Laptop/Notebook Hard Drives

2010-02-23T07:43:00.000-08:00

Over the past few years 2.5" hard drives for laptop/notebook computers have greatly improved, to the point where they are now comparable in performance to most 3.5" desktop hard drives while still being quiet, cool and thrifty on power.

That improvement has been made possible by (a) increases in recording density (the amount of data squeezed on a disk platter) that translate into corresponding increases in transfer performance; (b) increased performance of the SATA interface, now 3 Gb/s; and (c) faster 7200 RPM drives that increase transfer performance and reduce latency (delays) over slower rotation drives.

Each generation is faster than the last. It's important to get the latest generation, and since each generation is offered in a variety of capacities, it can be hard to figure out which generation is which. 160 GB 7200 RPM, for example, is available from Hitachi Global Storage Technologies in 3^rd (Travelstar 7K200), 4^th (Travelstar 7K320), and 5^th (Travelstar 7K500) generation versions, identified only by model number.

In addition to generation, similar drives from different manufacturers have significant differences in performance due to differences in technology, including architecture and on-board control firmware. Different brands are not the same!

Best Product

Hitachi T ravelstar 7K500 - Hitachi took the time to get it right, and the result is a superb product with blazing performance, smooth and quiet operation, and high reliability. Encrypting and high availability versions are also offered. Find It Online with Google Products

Honorable Mention

Western Digital Scorpio Black - Very good, but only 4^th generation. Find It Online with Google Products
Western Digital Scorpio Blue - Only 5200 RPM, but higher capacities than 7200 RPM, and very good performance due to excellent architecture and on-board control firmware. Find It Online with Google Products

See Also SSD or 7200 RPM Hard Drive?

Great Compact Digital Cameras

2010-02-19T07:39:00.000-08:00

Here's how I get my great images:

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ35

18x zoom
27 mm wide angle
Fast f/2.8 lens
Conversion lens compatible
Ultra high-speed autofocus
Stereo mic
12.1 megapixel
It's what I use
Find It Online with Google Products

Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS3

12x optical zoom
25 mm wide angle
Pocket size
HDMI output
10.1 megapixel
Also available in silver, blue, and red
Great all-around camera for most people
Find It Online with Google Products

What they both share

Fantastic Leica super-zoom lens
(glass matters more than megapixels!)
Optical Image Stabilization
Intelligent Auto Mode
Face Recognition
AVCHD Lite HD video
Superb image quality

Wireless Mouse that Really Works

2010-02-18T10:15:00.000-08:00

The problem with many a wireless mouse is that they don't work terribly well due to annoying lag. Another problem is the dongle needed for the computer to communicate with the wireless mouse. After much searching I've finally found a wireless mouse that really works, the Microsoft Bluetooth Notebook Mouse 5000. Response is excellent, size and shape are just right (for me at least), battery life is excellent, and the price is right (as low as $25 online). Find It Online with Google Products

If your notebook computer doesn't have built-in Bluetooth like mine, you can get a Bluetooth dongle so small you can leave it plugged into a USB port, like the Kensington Bluetooth USB Micro Adapter, or a much less expensive generic equivalent.

If you prefer a larger mouse, check out the other Microsoft Bluetooth Mouse options -- while I haven't used them, my guess™ is that they work equally well.