St. Valentine's Day gadget gift guide

Saint Valentines Day is here. This has always been a time for some of the most romantic moments of the winter at least, if, of course, you have someone to share it with. I hope you do and if so, you will be thinking of some kind of present, something bigger then flowers and congratulation cards. So, our job here was to compile a list of what gadget world has to offer on the occasion of Saint Valentine's Day. Most of it is completely unisex and will suit a pretty large range of ages and interests.

Samsung B2100 Extreme, adventure with a flourish

The Samsung B2100 is an attractive device with a tough rubberised housing. The countours of the case are curved with "grip dimples" in the side, which makes it a very nice handset to look at. Everything is fully waterpoof, unless you open the battery cover or charger/headset cover. You can also wear the phone with a lanyard although there isn't one in the box. The rubbery keyboard is not unpleasant to use, but the controller pad does feel a bit stiff. The 128 x 160 pixel screen is basic but very clear and it is certainly good enough for most tasks.

The B2100 is very solidly constructed - and with good reason. Not only do all the panels and joins have to be watertight, but the phone can also survive a one metre drop onto a hard surface plus quite a lot of other abuse. We're not saying that the B2100 is unbreakable, but it can certainly survive events that will kill another phone stone dead. It is slightly on the heavy side - we weighed it at 106 grams with the microSD card installed. The weight is mostly due to the tough construction, if carried in a pocket it won't be a problem, but on a lanyard it could prove to be annoying.


Is it waterproof?

Samsung claim that the B2100 is fully waterproof. Well, is it really? We put it to the test in this video and the answer is "yes". As long as all the covers are firmly in place, then there appears to be no water ingress at all and the handset works just fine under water. In reality, you are not going to make a phone call underwater.. but it shows that the B2100 is highly resistant against rain, getting dropped in puddles or splashed with water or other liquids. It should also survive a trip down to the pub.

The phone wipes clean easily, and if it gets muddy or dirty then you can simply rinse it off.
One drawback is that if you use the wired headset then you will compromise the B2100's watertightness. Care also needs to be taken when opening the panels to avoid damage.

The tough casing does create another problem. Because everything is fully sealed, audio quality is slightly muffled. On a normal phone, the microphone and speakers are mounted internally and covered by a mesh or small holes in the casing to allow sound to travel easily. On the B2100, everything is sealed up and there is a slight but noticeable drop in audio quality as a result.

music player Multimedia

The music player is easy to use and it can cope with MP3s or synchronise with Windows Media Player. Tracks are controlled by the navigation pad plus a volume control on the side of the phone, and the B2100 can happily play music in the background while other tasks are carried out.

As we mentioned before, sound is slightly muffled on the B2100. However, the internal speaker is loud enough to make this a practical portable music player. When played through the supplied headset, audio playback is clear and can be turned up very loud. There's also an FM radio which works in conjunction with the wired headset - this is easy enough to use but it doesn't come with RDS, so radio station names are not displayed.

Web browsing

To be blunt - web browsing on the B2100 is a pretty miserable experience. This isn't a 3G device, so many customers will have to rely on GPRS rates which are about the same as an old-fashioned dial-up modem. The web browser is also pretty poor and can only cope with fairly simple pages, else it fails with a "document too large error", and pages designed for full blown web browsers often render very poorly. On the other hand, simple sites and those specifically designed for mobile phones work just fine.

Camera

Although it is unlikely that you'll buy the B2100 because of it's camera, the 1.3 megapixel unit is fairly decent, if simple. There's no flash, but a virtual iris control can adjust the brightness of a picture.. this takes a little practice to get right, and it can lead to an image being underexposed or overexposed. The B2100 does have some basic image editing functions which can help to fix the pictures you have taken.

The camera also lacks autofocus, but it copes with most things quite well. Again, if you are using the B2100 regularly for photographs, then you will probably want a data cable to transfer the images.

Ease of use

The user interface on the B2100 is pretty typical for a low-end Samsung handset. Even on the limited resolution screen of this phone, it is simple enough to use and there are plenty of keyboard shortcuts to speed things up. The keyboard is very rubbery though, and although the key travel is good, it does feel a little odd. The navigation pad is very stiff, and a little difficult to use.

Call quality

We found that call quality was OK, but slightly muffled due to the waterproof casing. It is certainly good enough for day-to-day use.
Value for money

In terms of raw technical specifications, the B2100 doesn't offer particularly great value for money.. until you take into account how tough it is. This phone will survive experiences which can kill most other handsets stone dead, although we didn't test the B2100 to destruction, we do think that this will be quite difficult to break. If you regularly expose your phone to harsh environments, then its robustness will probably pay for itself quite quickly.

Conclusion

The Samsung B2100 Solid Extreme is an exceptionally durable handset, but this durability does tend to compromise other handset features. Music playback is good, and the basic camera is surprisingly useful if a little fiddly to use. The web browser is the weakest part of the phone, even taking into account the lack of 3G.

It's an attractive looking device, and the toughness should be appealing to many consumers. And it's hard to beat the B2100's party trick of working under water!

Investment promising future

Investments would talk about anything to do with money, whereas the exchange value of money itself is gold. just once, to say gold is the standard price for the value of foreign currencies in the world. for saving the future of course we need an investment, in other words the savings. with a savings account, let alone the gold of course we have indirect investment value.


Not only that, now gold is not only for currency exchange rates or investment only. there are some people who use gold as a symbol or an interesting jewelry. of course there are artists who want to process it into gold jewelry including one shaped coins. because the privilege is itself the gold to trade gold in the world must include a certificate along with other properties.

Return to investment, gold coin is a combination of the two elements above. namely between investment (savings) and also jewelry. then there is nothing wrong if we invest our money to have some gold collection. for a moment can we use.

Pentax X70 Review

The ultrazoom category is a force to be reckoned with in today's market. Not only do these cameras offer a wide- to telephoto focal range; they cost less than a dedicated SLR. The Pentax X70 is a 12 megapixel powerhouse with a 24X optical zoom, the first entry from the same company that manufactures the formidable K-series of DSLRs.

The X70 has some interesting features jam-packed into a DSLR-like body, including a 12-megapixel CCD sensor, 24X zoom with a focal range from 26-624mm, high-speed continuous shooting of up to 11 fps, Super Macro Mode for getting as close as 1 cm from your subject, and HD movie capture at 1280x720 at 15 frames per second.

FEATURES OVERVIEW

The strongest feature of the X70 is the optical zoom range, giving you a pure, unadulterated 26mm wide to a super telephoto 624mm. What's also different about the X70 is the amount of user control it offers, including Manual (M), Shutter Priority (Tv), Aperture Priority (Av) and Program (P) modes to control nearly every aspect of the shooting process.

But to get into the nitty gritty of the camera, and some of the features that make the X70 unique, here's a run down of what it's got...

24X Optical Zoom: The most powerful feature of the camera is its optical power. The ability to zoom from 26mm, which will give you a nice wide landscape, to a 624mm telephoto, letting you hone in on subjects far from the camera, is a boon when you want to get both kind of shots with only one camera. The X70 allows you to do so.

Triple Shake Reduction: With such a powerful zoom range there usually comes a tradeoff -- blur at telephoto lengths. Pentax's proprietary Shake Reduction technology utilizes an image stabilization system that uses a gyro sensor to recognize camera shake and compensates by shifting the CCD to prevent blur. The second system in place is digital stabilization that works by bumping up the ISO. Both methods work well to keep camera shake from ruining a shot. The third SR is Movie SR, which is used for video capture.

LCD: The X70 has a large, high-res 2.7 inch TFT color LCD with anti-reflective coating and a 230,000-dot resolution, as well as an Electronic Viewfinder with an impressive 200,000-dot resolution.

Fast Continuous Shooting: Also impressive is a burst rate of 11 fps JPEG shooting up to 21 frames before the buffer memory needs to be cleared, allowing you to capture the action without missing a shot.

HD Movie: The X70 captures HD video at a resolution of 1280x720 at 15 fps, which is interesting, because most HD capture in compacts is 24 or 30 fps. The camera also captures VGA resolution video at 848x480 at 30 fps.

Face Detection: This feature captures up to 32 faces in 0.03 seconds. Smile Capture detects when your subject is smiling, and Blink Detection will let you know if the subject's eyes are closed before you press the shutter. This function works great if you are shooting kids or a large group photo.

Exposure Modes: The X70 has four exposure modes, including Program AE, in which the camera selects the best aperture and shutter speed automatically for you; Aperture Priority; Shutter Priority; and Manual, allowing photographers to select their aperture and shutter speed.

Auto Bracketing: With this function you can set the camera to capture three simultaneous exposures, one that is under, one over, and one in between, so that you can choose the right exposure, or even stack them together later for high dynamic range photography.

Styling and Build Quality
The X70, much like other cameras in the ultrazoom category, is somewhat of a mini DSLR. That being said, it is not exactly a pocket camera. It is similar in design to offerings from both Olympus and Fujifilm in form factor and overall dimension, measuring 4.4 x 3.2 x 3.9 inches (WxHxD) and weighing in at 13.8 oz.

Ergonomics and Interface
Picking up the X70 is similar to handling a DSLR. It has a similar right-hand grip and a protruding lens that you would typically place your hand on to zoom with, except that with the X70 you obviously can't do this with the barrel.

The placement of the controls, including the mode dial on the top right of the camera, is very reminiscent of an SLR. The top of the camera features the mode dial which allows between movie and manual mode, the on/off button, the shutter with the zoom lever, and the Exposure Compensation button that lets you choose the compensation value, shutter speed and the aperture value. Also on the top of the camera is a button that lets you pop up the flash.

Display/Viewfinder
In most of the reviews that I have written for DigitalCameraReview, I have criticized the EVF as mostly a useless feature that is clunky and just takes up more space on the back of a camera. In the case of the X70, the 200,000 dot resolution viewfinder is fast, accurate, and very similar in responsiveness to the Panasonic G1 (which set the bar high for EVF because of its speed and accuracy). The X70's EVF works great, and displays all the shooting information through the viewfinder. The LCD also works well. Measuring 2.7 inches with a smudge resistant coating, it plays back images accurately with 230,000 dot resolution.

PERFORMANCE

Timings and Shutter Lag
While the X70 is not a speed demon, the lab testing gave us pretty standard results. AF was slow, especially with the lens fully extended, making the zoom lens creep to find focus. When you'd like to shoot an image quickly, this becomes very annoying.

Auto Focus
The X70 uses a contrast-based AF system with 6 different options. The Standard AF works for most shooting scenarios. The second AF mode, Macro, offers a focusing distance of 4 to 20 inches for close pictures of your subject. One of my favorite focusing options for the X70 is the 1 cm Macro mode, allowing you an extreme close up of your subject within a centimeter away. This is a unique and helpful option that gives you an incredible level of detail.

Infinity AF is optimal for taking images of distant objects and still being able to keep most the frame in focus. There is also a Manual Focus that lets you set your own focus, and an AF Area Selection that lets you select a specific area to focus the frame with 25 user selectable points.

Lens and Zoom
Although the X70 doesn't have the highest optical zoom power in its class (other manufacturers have models with 26X), it provides a wide range that appeases all types of photographers. Based on a 35mm equivalency, the camera's focal distance ranges from 4.6-110.4mm (26-624mm) with an aperture range of ƒ/2.8-5.0.

Flash
The X70 has a pop-up flash with various settings, including Auto, Auto with Red-eye, Flash on + Red-eye, Slow-speed Sync and Slow-speed Sync with Red-eye, which can be changed by clicking the left arrow button on the four-way controller. It has an effective range of 29.9-ft (wide, auto ISO) to 16.7-ft (tele, auto ISO).

Image Stabilization
Image stabilization is called Triple Shake Reduction (coined by Pentax), and uses a CCD-shift or another form of digital and a high-ISO setting to prevent blurring. Shake Reduction can be hit or miss in the X70, depending on your focal length. That being said, shooting at the wide end of the lens will produce less blur issues if there is enough available light. When using telephoto lengths, however, real problems crop up.

Shake Reduction can be accessed through the Rec. menu, and there is also a Digital SR option on the mode dial. Overall, the camera worked fine at the wider focal lengths, but at telephoto I encountered a few problems and ended up with some overexposed images.

I found the Movie SR for shooting video mostly useless because the video captured with the X70 is sub-par, but I'll get more into that later.

Battery
Battery life on the X70 depends on if you shoot video or stills. The X70 uses a lithium-ion rechargeable battery that comes with the camera, and according to CIPA-compliant testing, 170 stills can be captured if half of these images are used with flash. My field-testing, with only about 10% of my shots using flash rendered about 250 or more stills.

However, battery time drained quickly when the 11 fps continuous shooting mode was employed or when I shot HD video. Overall, field-testing was similar to Pentax's in-house testing.

CONCLUSIONS
The X70 offers a lot in the way of control and focal length, but is it worth the $400 price tag? Most ultrazooms are running at this same price point, and most have fared considerably well on this site, but the X70 is a great camera that offers a lot of control similar to a DSLR. Not only can the X70 take you from extreme wide-angle to super telephoto with one lens, it does so with the ability to take control of nearly every aspect of shooting.

In comparison with the Pentax K2000 DSLR, you can purchase this camera with two kit lenses, including the 18-55mm & 50-200mm for $649 from their Web store, giving you a zoom range of 18-200mm, which still can't touch the 624mm tele on the X70. For $250 more, you get a larger sensor, bigger camera and a larger quiver of lenses.

Depending on your experience with photography and your budget, the X70 is a worthy competitor in the growing ultrazoom market, and after using quite a few over the years, this camera by far exceeds where the others have failed. If you have the dough to move up to DSLR photography, then by all means do it. Nothing beats a good DSLR. If you're a dedicated shutterbug and want a camera with all the focal power you'll ever need in one place, the X70 is your camera. This is even a great intermediary camera for the casual shooter who wants to move up to a better class of camera than a typical point-and-shoot. All things considered and tested, the Pentax X70 is a worthy competitor in the ultrazoom market.

Pros:

* Good image quality and performance
* Exceptional focal range
* Great low-light performance
* Advanced manual control

Cons:

* Poor HD video quality
* AF is slow
* Overexposed images at longest focal lengths
* No RAW support

Olympus Stylus Tough 6000 First Thoughts

The Olympus Stylus Tough-6000 is a semi-rugged digital camera designed for people who might destroy a normal camera. It offers shock resistance from falls up to 5 feet, a waterproof case to a depth of 10 feet, and still functions in temperatures as low as 14F. Sporting a wide angle zoom lens, dual image stabilization, and a 10 megapixel sensor, Olympus wasn't skimping on features with this durable camera. For our first thoughts piece, we'll take a look at how well this camera performs in not-so-normal operating conditions.

Rugged Case
Olympus designed the case for the Tough-6000 from the ground up with durability and ruggedness in mind. All ports and access panels are fully gasketed to prevent water intrusion, with the release clips mounted slightly recessed so you don't accidentally open one of them while the camera is in use. The case feels very durable in your hands, with no hint of flexing or creaking when you are holding it.

The plastics feel solid in combination with the stainless steel panels, although it is still comfortable to hold in your hand with the rounded edges. The camera uses a periscope style lens, instead of a telescoping lens which would make waterproofing much more difficult.

In our submersion tests the camera worked beautifully, capturing clear images and movies underwater. The flash gave odd results depending on how the light reflected off of the surface of the water, sometimes creating an overexposed or underexposed image. The microphone picked up underwater sounds clearly, but it was limited to clunks as our soda can bobbed in the water, not the surrounding voice.

User Interface
One concern with rugged cameras is how do you operate them if you are wearing gloves? With an operating range down to 14F, chances are you will have your fingers inside a mitten to shield them from the cold air. Olympus took this into consideration and included a tap recognition mechanism so you can hit the four sides of the camera to control different functions. Hitting the right side toggles through the flash settings, hitting the left side toggles the macro settings, hitting the top twice clicks OK, and hitting the bottom puts the camera into display mode.

Overall, our initial impression of the Olympus Stylus Tough-6000 is very positive. The camera feels solid and durable, takes reasonably high-quality photos in normal and abnormal conditions, and it doesn't cost an arm and a leg.

Stay tuned for our full review where we will continue our in-depth look at the Tough-6000.

Futuristically designed men’s watch from Issey Miyake

This futuristically designed men’s automatic watch from Issey Miyake collection is a water resistant model 330 feet coming with special case 44 mm in diameter. The men’s watch is made of high quality stainless steel including its bracelet. Its color and design will charm many watch connoisseurs.

This wonderful timepiece has a deployment clasp with 25millimeters band, stainless steel dial as well as bezel which appears to be very stylish. Two stick hands placed on separate parts of the dial rotate about each other.

Optionally, you will be able to choose a durable mineral crystal, so this is not only cool and stylish but also gorgeous and incredible.

Tissot is what you’ve got

Tissot PR50 Chronograph T34.1.428.52 watch is something special with its dial being made of black steel and appears to be a trendy men’s showpiece to telling the time beautifully. Tissot PR50 model has a fixed bezel, quartz movement as well as black leather bracelet. The brand new master piece features Arabic numeral hour markers as well as scratch resistant sapphire crystal as it is highly protective to make its appearance perfect.

Having a stainless steel case, it has a case with diameter amounting to 38 millimeters while its thickness is 9, 87 millimeters. Tissot PR50 has a date displaying at 4 o’clock, buckle clasp and is absolutely new model with water resistance up to 50 meters.

This first quality watches come with a two year warranty having its alternate model number T34142852. As we can see, long standing Tissot traditions are vivid with Tissot watch makers being the first engineers to construct watches from wood, stone and other materials.

Awesome Joshua Sons Unisex watches JS-04-04

Brand new stylish timepiece Joshua and Son are here to blow your mind while you are wearing this master piece. You may witness the product of Joshua and Son watch making which fall you in love with this unique watch. This groundbreaking timepiece comes with a warranty and incorporates automatic self winding movement.

The material to be used was a stainless steel with 22 jewels while its design is impressive. Joshua & Sons represents a new style of how the modern watches should be like. The model is embedded with a date pointer which is operated by a pusher at 4 o'clock. Joshua & Son timepiece is reported to be water-resistant up to 50 meters which may be the best choice for divers.

Month is operated by pusher at 2 o'clock while day of the week is operated at 10 o'clock. JS-04-04 model comes with second time zone, blue dial as well as silver hands numerals and hour markers. Joshua & Sons timepiece has scratch resistant mineral crystals in its front and back while main time hours seconds and minutes are operated by chief crown at 3 o'clock.

Joshua & Sons model made of stainless steel with moon or sun display for AM/PM time. There is a rubber strap with J&S logo as well as tang buckle being made also of steel. The dual time watch has a silver white dial, silver Arabic numerals, and screw-in case back. Speaking about case dimensions, it has 48 mm in height, 42 mm in width and 15 mm in thickness while bracelet dimensions are 27 mm in width and 10 inches long, so you are able to wear it even if you have a big wrist.

Joshua & Sons men’s wrist watch can be comfortable with from 7.5 inches to 8.5 inches wrists. The model has mineral crystals on both its front and back including dial window. It is a self winding model with self winding technique due to your arm moves. Nevertheless, the watches are recommended to be wound manually at least one time every two weeks.

Additionally, you are recommended to check and adjust your time once a month since automatic movement can be some minutes imprecise after being operated for a month. The model is absolutely new and is factory sealed. It does function without any battery being able to operate automatically. Also, there is day-date-and-month-moon-phase.

Joshua & Sons men’s wrist watch is able to tell time in three different time zones at the same time and is a product of advanced watch making technologies. If you need to emphasize your personality, this timepiece is ready to make your dream come true.

Charming Invicta 8928 timepiece – diving style

Welcome to a new world of design and performance, the automatic watch Invicta 8928 from pro diver collection. This classic model comes with two-tone gold-plated and silver-tone stainless steel case and is seen to be a nice timepiece. This men’s watches have a bezel as well as bracelet strap and are safeguarded by an anti-reflective crystal, dial showcases, high readability hands and markers including a new display positioned at three o’clock.

These sporty style watches come with automatic mechanical 21-jewel watch movement which is not only shock resistant but also trustworthy to stand out of the crowd. Being a diving style model, the timepiece is water proof up to 200 meters. If original, you will be able to get it with a one-year warranty. You may be diving with it and be sure they will stay in operation for a long time.

Invicta 8928 timepiece from the pro diver collection features 21 jewels. The model incorporates a 43mm in diameter case made of stainless steel with 18kt gold plating. Hands are clearly visible even at night since they are luminous. It has a round face shape and can be optionally gold with screw-down and sapphire crystal. Additionally you it will get a safety clasp, so keep enjoying your diving style.

New direction for your satisfaction with Citizen watch

Called the Citizen BJ7000-52E, this timepiece is a very elegant model coming with stainless steel case and bracelet as well as a black dial. Wearing this watch will never be boring as you will not have to change batteries constantly. Citizen BJ7000-52E watch measures about 1.6 inches in diameter. It also features low charge indicator window, luminous markers for easier readability as well as silver bezel.

It is obvious that this timepiece will please you pampering all the watch lovers. Power reserve amounts up to 180 Days. The amazing model belongs to NightHawk collection. The watch is water resistant up to 200meters has power saver function, screw-down crown, screw back case, time reset advisory, dual time, date display, luminous hands, none reflective crystal and other features.

When there is a low-light visibility, luminous markers are ready to work with more readability provided. Its case measures 41milimeters in diameter by 12 milimeters in thickness. Citizen timepiece is fascinating with tricky design, slide rule function, quartz movement, stainless steel bezel, selector button & case back, none reflective scratch-resistant mineral crystal, fold-over push-button deployment clasp. Enjoy wearing the best!

Watch world time Patek Philippe wristwatch

Hold your breath as you watch this men’s wristwatch of the model 5130R. A well known watch maker Patek Philippe represents its unique World Time series wrist watch called 5130R. Coming with 18 karats rose gold casing, this fabulous men’s wrist watch has a leather bracelet and features a silver dial. It is an absolute enjoyment to wear this staggering wrist watch with fixed bezel.

There are some important features as scratch resistant sapphire crystal as well as deployment clasp and self-winding movement. The diameter of its case amounts to 39.5 millimeters while sapphire crystal has an anti reflective property. These marvelous watches are water resistant up to 100 feet with 48 hours long power reserve. The model is a brand new watch to be a replacement for the original ref. 5110 watches.

Among things to be changed, you can see there is an indication of 24 time zones, enlarged dial size with more readability while the watch comes with a new guilloche pattern in the centre. The model has 3.88 mm in thickness, 8.0 inches in length with engine Patek Caliber 240 HU. There is a two ears long warranty for a watch. It has 239 parts, 33 jewels with 21 600 vibrations per hour. It functions with hours, minutes, small seconds so be satisfied!

Motorola W7 Active Edition

Motorola launches a new version of mobile phone for active people. It is Motorola W7 Active Edition. The phone has built-in sensors that help to control heart rate. Also the W7 has a built-in accelerometer. It makes switching music tracks or answering incoming calls easier. Consumer can simply shake his phone left or right to change the track or just shake the phone upside-down to answer the call.

Let’s look inside the W7. Consumers can make video calls using front VGA camera. Also the phone has a 2 megapixel camera. Built-in stereo Bluetooth helps sportsmen to listen their favorite songs during the exercises. Also the phone supports up to 8 GB memory.

So Motorola W7 Active Edition is the first step to a healthy way of life.