Apple launched today the brand new iMac. I am pleased to say that the features are stunning, and this represents a great opportunity to those who ever wanted to buy one.

There are 4 models you can choose from, the cheapest being the 20″ one with a 2.4GHz Intel Core 2 Duo CPU. The price of this model is $1,199.00 and comes with free shipping.

The most expensive model has a 24″ display, a 3.06 GHZ Intel core 2 duo CPU, and a NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GS with 512MB memory video card. The only problem is that it costs almost double($2,199.00) than the cheapest model.

All of the 4 models are powered by Intel Core 2 Duo CPU’s and have either ATI or nvidia GPU’s(graphic processing units). If you buy a iMac you won’t have to worry about storing your files, because you can choose from getting a model with 250GB HDD, 320GB HDD or 500GB HDD.

That’s lots and lots of storage place and power, especially if you think of the upgrades you can buy: HDD up to 1TB(1000GB), Memory(RAM) up to 4GB. Heck, the new iMac makes my PC look like a snail compared to it :).

The screen is thinner than ever, Apple already proved us that they can really make slim accessories/PC’s (remember Macbook Air, which is the world’s thinnest notebook), and it also contains a built-in iSight camera so you can directly interact with your friends on the internet.

The bottom line is that its worth to buy a iMac rather than a desktop PC, because it’s thinner, it uses less space, meaning you don’t have to worry about storage, and it also comes with warranty so you can give up your worries! What more can you expect from a “monitor”?

It is quite hard to make a decision when your in a dilemma over choosing between 2 gadgets that do the same thing, one is one level better than the other, and yet the price difference is minimal.

Trust me it’s a hard choice, and here are 7 reasons why you shouldn’t buy a MP3 player when you have the chance to buy a cool MP4 player for almost the same price and also avoid the mistake that i made. There’s a hungarian saying that says:“if you throw something away today, you will definitely need it tomorrow” you can’t imagine how true this is, and yes it can refer to shopping also:

You can research 1-2 weeks and check items in lots of stores, and finally after you made up your mind and buy the desired item the next day you spot a better deal and then start swearing and saying:“why couldn’t it wait one more day?”

This happened to me last year. I did my homework(researched, went to lots of stores) and found the ideal product for myself(a buntz 1GB mp3 player). I went and bought it and the next day i went to a local hypermarket and spotted a special offer for a 2GB Mp4 player with 65k colors which cost like 10$ more than my mp3 player. At that point i taught i’ll smash the ground with my mp3 player but my friends chilled me down.

Reason 1: Song selection

At a mp3 player you can only switch from the current song to the song that was before it and the song that is next. This means that if you want to listen to a song that is in the middle of the list you will have to use the scroll button x times(x represents the number of the song you want to listen to) to get to the desired song.

At a mp4 player this is not an issue, because you have a bigger lcd display with a menu which allows you to select the song you want to listen.

Reason 2: Display

Mp3 players have only a tiny monochrome LCD display and allow you to only play songs.

If you have a MP4 player you can watch videos(exceptions are those which have monochrome display) because most of the mp4 players have at least a 65,000 color display.

Reason 3: Supported file types

Most of the MP3 players support .mp3, .ogg and .wma file types.

MP4 players usually support: .mp3, .wma, .wav, .MPEG 1,2,4, .MP4, .JPG, .AVI, .VOB, .ASF. Also some MP4 players have a video conversion application which converts any type of video file to a custom video type supported by the mp4 player.

Reason 4: Functions

MP3 players have the possibility to play songs,listen to radio,record or replay recordings along with some lcd color effects.

MP4 players feature a 65,000 or 256,000 color display(exceptions may occur) and let you replay audio/video/pictures/record/replay.

Reason 5: Reliability

MP3 players are powered by a 1.5V AAA battery. An alkaline battery lasts about 12-16 hours of usage time. If you want to extend this you need to buy NI-MH rechargeable batteries(1000 mAH would be a good choice) along with a battery charger -> extra expenses

MP4 players have a lithium ION or Polymer battery which you can recharge by connecting your mp4 player with your PC trough the USB port. The battery of a mp4 player has an autonomy of 16-24 hours and recharge time is 2-3 hours.

Reason 5: Price

The price difference between mp3 and mp4 players is really small, but if you calculate the expenses after buying a mp3 player(rechargeable batteries/battery charger) then you will realize that it’s better to buy a mp4 player which costs an extra 5-10 bucks and enjoy its extended features.

Reason 6: Accessories

The headphones supplied with mp3 players are low quality ones and you will most probably buy a headset that sounds better(i suggest philips ).

Mp4 players have a high-quality time-resistant headset which i guarantee that won’t sound distorted.

Reason 7: Trend

Its a fact. Mp4 players are more trendy than mp3 players. This means that you can show off your MP4 player to your friends and brag about it. You can’t really do this with your MP3 player.

Remember: both the mp3 and the mp4 players can be used as USB sticks to store and share data.The data transfer is almost the same as at USB sticks. Cool isn’t it?

Apple, the company which made the worldwide popular gadgets: Macbook, iTouch, iPod and iPhone launched yesterday the world’s thinnest notebook: Macbook Air. The festivity had place in San Francisco and was lead by the billionaire Steve Jobs.

Macbook Air features a 13.3 inch widescreen display + built-in iSight camera and it features a powerful Intel Core 2 Duo 1.6GHZ processor along with 2GB of memory+ bluetooth 2.1 port and it costs 1700$(IMO its damn expensive, i would rather get a DELL Alienware PC or a HP or Fujitsu but if you need mobility and lightweight this is the best solution for you.)

The shipping of the product will start in 2weeks when the product will also be available in stores( i bet many people are enthusiasted about it)

They don’t call it the world’s thinnest notebook for nothing!

The screen’s width is only 2mm, the body’s width is 2cm and it weights only 1.3kg, meaning if you put it in a backpack there are big chances that your backpack will be heavier than the notebook

My overall rating:

Remember back in july when i said that i will buy a new digicam ? Well back then i wanted to buy that digicam but things didn’t work out right so i didn’t buy it.

Yesterday a new promotion popped up(-33% off regualr price) at MediaGalaxy(local electornics/IT&C shop) so i took the advantage and bought a new digicam - BENQ DC C640 at a great price - 115$ along with a 1Gb SD card - 20$.

The camera works great, it has 6megapixels along with 3x optical zoom using smc Pentax Lens and a wide 2.5 inch LCD display with 2 years of warranty. Along with these features what captivated my attention was the price and the lots of features that the camera has:

1. Program Mode - The camera automatically sets the shutter speed and aperture based on the scene lighting. Program mode offers the ease of auto shooting with full access to all menu options.
2. Aperture Priority - The camera automatically sets the shutter speed for proper exposure. Aperture priority mode is primarily used to control depth of field.
3. Shutter Priority - The camera automatically sets the aperture for proper exposure. Shutter priority mode is primarily used to prevent blur when your subject is moving. To prevent camera shake, use a tripod for slow shutter speeds.
4. Manual - You set the aperture and shutter speed; exposure compensation changes as a result of those settings.
5. Face-Tracking function - C640 can automatically detect and track human face, lock on and focus. Simple click the shutter and enjoy the applause from everyone else!
6. Shake Free Mode - BenQ’s Shake-Free mode helps you eliminate the chance of getting blurry photo.
7. High ISO Portrait Mode - High ISO protrait mode enables you to take aesthetic photos under dim light evironment. In a romantic restaurant, a beautiful art gallery or a museum where flash cannot be used

As stated above the digicam comes with 2 years of warranty and in case of defection i just need to call a TOLL FREE 0800 number and they will come and pick it up and take it to service from my house - cool isn’t it?

Edit: Here are some pictures made with the digicam as Cleo requested:

The full sized images are 1.51MB each so please leave some time for the full preview to load.

Many people put in their minds: “Tomorrow i will go and buy myself a new laptop” and the next day they spend 3/4 of their day going from shop to shop and gathering info on the laptop offers. Either they check out the offers and go back and buy the laptop or they go home and before going to sleep they check out the offers again just to make sure they choose the best one and the next day they buy the laptop they chose and end up by buying a laptop that in 2-3 months will regret that they bought it.

Lots and lots of people are smart-headed and think they can do it on their own and don’t even call a friend or ask a relative who has experience on the IT&C field to go with them and help them choose. And this way the sellers in stores try to screw you over as much as they can.

I was in a PC shop looking at some accessories when a guy comes in looking for RAM, he specifies that he wants DUAL DDR and specifies its frequency. The seller takes out 5 types or RAM and starts showing it to him…as i recall the ram’s brands we’re: Kingmax,Geil,chrossair,syncron,elixir.

Ofcourse Geil was the most expensive so the buyer from start said that he doesn’t want it. He was in quite a dilemma when the seller started saying: ” syncron is a very bought ram type and all of our customers we’re satisfied and even i got that type of RAM and never had problems” (its price was almost as much as Kingmax was) So the naive buyer bought the syncron ram and he went home happy with his brand new ram. The seller smiled and went back to work, imo he said to himself: “Whoohoo!! i screwed over one more guy”

DON’T MAKE THE SAME MISTAKE, IF YOU HAVE THE POSSIBILITY ASK A FRIEND WHO HAS SOME IT&C KNOWLEDGE TO GO WITH YOU WHEN YOU BUY PC RELATED STUFF!

Not lets get back to Laptop related stuff - Here are some points that you should consider checking before buying a Laptop:

The Laptop’s design: Make sure you like the design and it fits you. I’m not talking about just the external looks of the laptop and its color, i’m talking about how the keyboard elements are arranged, the way the screen is attached to the body and the screen size. Older Toshiba laptops(for example Toshiba Satellite Pro 6000 - check image) don’t have a touchpad(like at regular laptops) they have a small button in the middle of the keyboard from where you control the mouse pointer.

The Laptop’s performance: Make sure you set your budget and choose a laptop according to it. you can’t expect to buy a latest generation laptop for a few hundred bucks. Check out the RAM, the video memory and the hard drive specifications. Set your goal for what you will use the laptop, if you will use it for advanced applications that eat much resources than make sure the laptop’s performance can match it!

Networking: Check out if the laptop has wireless networking port/bluetooth/infrared port. Wireless network can be crucial if in your city there is setup a wireless hotspot(from where you can access the internet wireless)

Use your budget wisely: Don;t buy a hyper-super laptop if you can’t take the maximum out of it, buy a laptop that will fulfill a little more than your needs.

Operating system: Most shops sell along the laptops Windows Vista, if you hate/don’t like/don’t want to use/don’t want to pay 250$ more then try to talk to the sellers to take that off.

And again: remember to ask friends to help you if you are unsure of your purchase!

Good Luck!

Apple recently lowered iPhone’s price from 599$ to 399$. Well this made quite many people unhappy, more precisely it made a woman so angry that she sued the company asking for $1.000.000 compensation. The trial is still running, but apple recently made a statement:Everyone who bought iPhone 14 days before the price drop for 599$ will get 200$(most probably a 200$ coupon to use in apple store) and those who bought it earlier will get as compensation a 100$ coupon that they can spend in apple stores.

In my opinion Apple should have released iPhone for 399$ form the beginning even though it was a big hit…but as technology evolves we might as well expect an other price drop soon.

Sunday i had nothing better to do so i taught what the heck, ima check some prices on buy.com. So i started looking at laptops, books, DVDs , games and digital cameras. My eyes got caught on Canon PowerShot A460 5 megapixel camera. I read the reviews and everyone who wrote a review is extremely satisfied with it. Canon is a powerful brand and it has quality products.

Here are its features:

+ Includes PowerShot A460 Body; AA-size Alkaline Battery (x2); Multimedia Card MMC-16M; Wrist Strap WS-800; Digital Camera Solution CD-ROM; USB Interface Cable IFC-400PCU; AV Cable AVC-DC300

+  5.0 Megapixels in the palm of your hand with a high-quality Canon 4x Optical zoom Lens and clear 2.0-inch LCD screen

+ DIGIC II Image Processor with ISAPS Technology for superior image quality, fast operation and low power consumption

+ 16:9 Widescreen mode for full-screen viewing on widescreen TVs and Computer monitors

+ Print/Share Button for easy direct printing and downloading, plus ID Photo Print and Movie Print with Canon CP and SELPHY Compact Photo Printers

+ Focal length - 5.4-21.6mm f/2.8-5.8 (35mm film equivalent: 38-152mm)

+ 4x optical and 4x digital zoom

+ Shooting Modes - Auto, Camera M, Special Scene (Portrait, Foliage, Snow, Beach, Fireworks, Indoor, Kids & Pets, Night Snapshot), Super Macro, Movie / Photo Effects - Vivid, Neutral, Sepia, Black & White, Custom

+ Storage Media - SD Memory Card, SDHC Memory Card, Multimedia Card and Multimode electronic-flash

+ Pixel - Still Image: 640 x 480 (Small), 1,600 x 1,200 (Medium 2), 2,048 x 1,536 (Medium 1), 2,592 x 1,944 (Large), 2,592 x 1,456 (Widescreen) Movie: 640 x 480 (10 fps) / 320 x 240 (30 fps) available up to 1GB or 60 minutes, 160 x 120 (3 min. at 15 fps)