Objects of Desire

Canon S2 IS

Canon's new Powershot S2 IS is a new 5-megapixel camera with a few tricks up its sleeve. To start, it's a semi-compact digital (my term for the variety with a handgrip and SLR-like lens) with 12x optical zoom that covers a whopping 36-432 in 35mm equivalent. It's not just a long lens though; it's also an Image Stabilized lens allowing for handholding at ultra-low speeds. Four IS settings (the previous model only had one) enable the camera to be tweaked for the shooting scene at hand. Thanks to Canon's DIGIC II processor, the new camera starts up much faster, and produces vivid images across the full focal length.

Many IS lenses have incredibly slow f-stops, but the new Canon has a UD lens that ranges from f/2.7-3.5. A 432mm equivalent lens at f/3.5 with Image Stabilization you say? I'm sold.

But wait, there's more. The S2 IS is also a nicely featured video camera that is able to capture 640 x 480 video at up to 30 fps and is able to record to an SD card until the media is full. Two small speakers on the camera provide stereo sound at up to full CD quality, and in audio-only recording modes the camera can grab up to two-hours of high-res audio.

This compact all-in-one carries a street price of about $499, bringing it in at a lower cost than buying both a camcorder and a camera. For the traveling photographer, this combo might be the perfect thing to slip into your carry-on bag on the way to the airport.



Further information: www.canonusa.com



Prosoft Drive Genius

Despite the stability of Mac OS X, every so often things just go wrong. Usually it's just a matter of some information being a bit misplaced on the hard drive, and all it needs is a little nudge. When your Mac starts to act a bit wiggy, pull out a copy of Drive Genius from Prosoft Engineering. The $100 CD can be used as an emergency boot disk and it contains all the programs necessary to help bring a sick Mac back to life. Use Drive Genius to rebuild permissions, optimize your drive or even scour the device for bad sectors. The cost of the disk is far lower than a house call from a tech support nerd and it's a lot easier to relate to.



Further information: www.prosofteng.com



Roxio Popcorn

Violating copyright is bad, bad, bad. But being able to make backup copies of your DVDs is good, and there's no better tool to use than Roxio Popcorn. Most computer programs I buy come on DVD these days, but I'm a horrible klutz and most of my often-used optical media doesn't survive more than a year before scratches make it useless. And all of my photographs get burned onto DVD via Popcorn for off-site archiving and storage.

The program couldn't be simpler. To duplicate a DVD put it in the drive and hit the big red button. (If you have both a DVD reader and a DVD burner, you can burn straight from one to another.) Want to burn your files with Popcorn? Drag them onto the interface and they're set to copy. The program's name implies that it's good for duplicating movies on DVD. Yes, since you're wondering, you can make legal-copies of DVD movies you own but most commercial movies come with anti-piracy schemes that the program will not defeat. What it will do though is help extract video content from DVDs, compress 9 gb dual-layer DVD-video into standard 4.7 gb DVD disc format and create DVD labels and jewel boxes.

Popcorn is the perfect application to speed up the creation and duplication of your media DVDs and program installers. A download-only version is available for $49.95 directly from roxio.com.



Further information: www.roxio.com



Magellan eXplorist

When the Department of Defense removed the intentional scrambling of signals from their fleet of Global Positioning System (GPS) satellites, they helped usher in a new era of commerce. Using a network of location-transmitting orbital platforms it's possible to pinpoint one's location on the planet down to the inch. Even photography has been bitten by the GPS bug with most professional cameras on the market now supporting the use of external GPS receivers in order to record position information with every shutter-click.

Even though the GPS craze has revolutionized business and outdoor recreation, most handheld units on the planet still come with limited internal memory and small screens. Not so with the new Magellan eXplorist 600, the new benchmark in outdoor GPS units. While the 600 features only 8 mb of internal memory, the device's genius lies in inclusion of an SD memory card slot allowing for limitless expansion. With a 1 gb SD card it's possible to store an unbelievable number of detailed maps and routes without having to head back to a computer to update information.

The eXplorist 600 measures only 2.1 x 4.6 x 1.3 inches and yet it packs more GPS goodness into that space than any other device on the market. The price hasn't been set as of press time, but it should come in at just under $400.



Further information: www.magellangps.com



Transmit3

For many photographers, sending files to clients via FTP (File Transfer Protocol) is part of business-as-usual. Shoot some pictures, launch a cumbersome and clunky FTP client, track down your flies and patiently wait while your files transmit. Transmit3 from the software magicians at Panic.com brings civility and order to the FTP process, at least for Mac users.

Sporting a customizable interface complete with "favorites" folders and tabs, Transmit3 provides multiple file transfer methods. But Transmit3 is more than just a pretty face. Files can be sent simply by dragging them to the Dock (which also displays transfer status), dropping them directly from the Finder and best of all, by setting up auto synchronization. Merge local folders with folders on machines anywhere around the world and Transmit3 can ensure that files stay in sync even across different time zones.

Little things make this $29.95 program such a gem though, things like the built-in image preview tool and a powerful text-editor that enables you to tweak files on a server without downloading them first. I've been using every version of Transmit since it was launched more than a year ago and it's always been one of the best programs on the market, but Version3 vaults it ahead of other FTP clients.



Further information: www.panic.com



Panasonic ADT Phone

There's nothing more comforting than a nice alarm system, but perhaps nothing more annoying than snuggling down into bed and realizing you forgot to arm the thing, at which point the distance between pillow and keypad seems astronomical. Skip the late night walk-in-the-dark and pick up Panasonic's KX-TG2970B SecurityLink phone, only from the folks at ADT.

The system costs $200 (on top of any ADT fees for using it) and comes with a base unit with corded phone and a cordless handset with a charger. Linked into your home or office alarm system the phone turns into a mini arming and security station. Punch in your codes onto the phone to activate and deactivate the unit or contact ADT directly at the push of a button.

The speakerphone can be used by ADT to monitor your house when your alarm goes off and the phone will pull juice off of the ADT backup battery in case of a power outage.



Further information: www.adt.com



Dell Inspiron XPS Gen2

Dell's new Inspiron XPS Gen 2 is targeted squarely at the fragging crowd and as such, I lust after it. For $2,800 you get a fully loaded 8.6 pound laptop based on the Sonoma pr ocessor family with a 17-inch WUXGA screen boasting TrueLife technology, a 256 mb GeForce Go 6800 Ultra graphics card, dual channel DDR2 SDRAM and more. There are six USB 2.0 ports and a set of "perimeter lights" that let you set the machine to have a nice glow. Best feature? The transparent cover on the lid allows you to slide a picture in to customize your new Photoshop powerhouse. (Mine'll have a photograph of Adobe's Thomas Knoll.)



Cost: Starts at $2,749 depending on configuration.

Further information: www.dell.com