The New iPod Nano With Video Camera, Voice Recorder and Pedometer

The new fifth generation iPod nano is an electronics marvel! It packs so many powerful things is such an incredibly small and slick body that it is unbelievable.

All these years I shied away from acquiring an iPod for the simple reason that it may take up so much of my time that my writing and other interests may suffer for want of time. But when I read that the new iPod nano could record and play video clips besides recording voice and music, I sort of began looking at it more inquisitively. I began to read its specifications and its features. When I found that it had world clock which could show me the time in 4 cities around the Globe at the same time, stopwatch, alarms, calendar, memo notes, contacts and games it perked up my ears. But the final feature which broke my resistance was that it worked as a pedometer as well! That did it! I fell for it and bought it promptly.

But it was my first iPod and first Apple device at that. I had no clue how to work it. I read the skimpy instruction booklet which was made for persons well acquainted with Apple devices and not for a first timer like me. When I switched on the device, I could not run up and down the menu as I tried in vain to press the arrow keys which I was used to on TV remote. I was frustrated beyond words. After an hour or so I discovered the secret of scrolling up and down the menu just by an accident. You have to brush your finger in a circular motion around the wheel! Clockwise to go down and anticlockwise to go up the menu! Eureka! I felt elated. The button at the top of the iPod which I presumed was the ON-OFF button did no such thing. It was a sliding switch to reset the iPod in the unlikely event when it did hang and stopped working. Soon I became an expert. Press menu to go back one screen at a time, and draw ring with the thumb on the wheel to select the menu and press the central button to move to the next screen.

I downloaded and installed iTunes on my computer. The program pulled out the music on my hard disc and converted it for the iPod. I connected the iPod and it soon finished syncing with the iTunes. Although iTunes did pick up 2 .mov movie clips from my desk and put them on the iTunes screen they did not sync with the iPod and a message showed up that it was not a format which could be played on the iPod nano. Similarly I found that movies which I had shot using my Panasonic camera could not be synced onto the iPod. You need to convert movies to MP4 format to load on to the iPod. Later I searched the net and downloaded the software to convert movies for iPod. You can find it at www.e-zsoft.com. However the movies which I shot with the iPod could be downloaded on my computer and they did play well. The iPod camera is pretty good at taking movie clips, though the position of the lens is something one has to get used to.

I was not expecting the iPod to play the music without plugging in the earphones, and was pleasantly surprised when it did. The sound is good quality but the volume is barely audible through my shirt pocket. But you could hold the back of the iPod to your ear and enjoy the music properly without the earphones. The feature is welcome when listening to voice notes. With the earphones, the quality of the sound is excellent.

I was pleased to see that the audio out socket is a full sized one (3.5 mm) and not a mini. I could plug in my music system in and play the iPod music. It sounded great! However I did not get any success playing the video clip through the AV cable which I bought separately. It did not show up on my Panasonic home theater projector. I took it back to the shop who tried it and said that although its black carton says iPod nano, it doesn't seem to work on the newest version. He would give it me as and when he received the new AV cable compatible with the new Nano. But this is undoubtedly a blotch on Apple, Inc. Why do they not make the accessories common to all? It just adds to inventory, makes the older accessories obsolete and adds to the costs.

I switched on the iPod pedometer put it in my right-side trouser pocket and walked in my garden and began counting the steps. I stopped after a couple of rounds when I had counted 485 steps and looked at the iPod. It had recorded 487 steps! The pedometer actually works. I then held it in my hand trying to keep it as steady as possible as I walked watching the screen. The iPod faithfully recorded my every step. I wonder how Apple did this gimmick as I do not know of any pedometer which can do that.

I plugged in the iPod in my inMotion im5 Altech speaker dock and it played some wonderful music. But the radio did not work on the dock. I put in the earphones and the radio worked. It probably uses the earphone wires as some kind of an aerial. I then tried it out plugging the iPod in the speaker through the aux. input with a cord which could serve as an aerial, but the radio still did not work.

I then plugged in my iTrip FM transmitter onto the iPod and set the frequency at 100 MH. This worked well when my radio was switched on to the same frequency. I switched on the FM radio in my car and played from the iPod Louis Armstrong's 'When the Saints go Marching By' as a salute to Apple Inc. for the iPod marvel.

On the whole I am happy that I bought the iPod Nano. It will be my companion in my pocket wherever I go. I have shed my fear and the little aversion I had for the Apple product. Kudos to Apple Inc. for coming up with a fantastic practical and useful product for beyond the music-lover consumers!

USB Digital Video Recorder Review

If it hadn't been for digital video recorders, we would still be stuck with grainy video images on tape and distorted audio. Now, we get to enjoy the features and functions that only a USB digital video recorder can offer. But does it offer enough for you to actually need one? Here's a short review of this gadget:

Format

USB digital video recorders generally produce images using MPEG4 or AVI formats. These are quite helpful because these formats are not resource hungry and will help you save a lot in terms of memory -- excellent if you only have a few gigabytes to spare.

If overwriting older footage is not an option for you, you could also choose a USB DVR that has an SD card slot so you can expand its built-in data storage. This will allow you to make continuous recordings of one or multiple activities without worrying that you'll fill up your storage quickly.

Recording mode

The best brands of USB digital video recorders offer several recording modes. This is a feature that lets you change the image settings and quality for footage you are about to capture. You could, for example, set the frame capture at a lower number per second -- say, 18 fps -- for footage showing normal activities.

If the footage you are taking is quick-paced, such as of a person running or a car passing by or if you're trying to capture footage of an active football game, you could set the frame speed at a higher rate. This will help result to better quality recording, with less pixelation or distortion.

You could also adjust the resolution of the image prior to capture so the DVR will produce sharper and clearer footage.

Connectivity

The USB digital video recorder works seamlessly with a computer. This allows for easier and faster viewing of recorded photos and videos. Once the connection has been established with a computer, photos and other images may then be uploaded, viewed, edited or shared.

Some issues

While USB digital video recorders can produce good quality images and footage, they aren't perfect. At least, not yet. Recording images on high resolution can sometimes suffer in quality, particularly if they are being taken using high speeds. A recording mode using a resolution of 720x480, for example, will not produce the same imaging quality if taken at a higher speed of, say 30 fps. Making a few adjustments, however, will correct this. You could simply set the DVR at a lower fps for a higher resolution image capture.

Wrist Watch Digital Voice Recorder Features

At present we have enough visions in our mind. If we just close our eyes and just imagine an innovative world of technology, we will discover that we have an opportunity to take advantage of the finest gadgets which will not just assist to accomplish our surveillance needs in good time however as well will provide us protection with truthfulness. Of course, at present we have several up-to-the-minute kinds of gadgets like the hidden cameras, the spy cameras and countless more new cameras that assist us in accomplishing our jobs with precision.

The hidden cameras or the spy cameras as they are commonly called are not very costly as well, actually they are so affordable that even a common man can consider to purchase it for his/her own advantage and protection. The most excellent products and services are currently available off the shelf. We can get all the details on these cameras on the internet even as we browse to any of the leading spyware websites online. The The probability that this type of gadget is currently very simple and convenient. It 'clear that the present life is extremely difficult and we have to think of ideas just to make it easier to recognize and challenge with an optimistic approach and get the best and most excellent gadgets such as hidden, spy and nanny cameras are in fact our advantages.

Sometimes, for some reason we can not know how to participate in conferences, or we can not knowhow to make out what is going on in our home or office all through our absence. However at present the whole thing is achievable by means of the hidden or the spy camera given that each and every incident you fail to see can be recorded conveniently and obviously in the Chronograph Wrist Watch Digital Voice Recorder! Presume if you need to go to another place to be present at one more meeting and would like to be familiar with what is happening in your office in your nonattendance, in that case You can Chronograph Digital Voice Recorder on the table, where I usually leave all the days events. The whole is only given the opportunity, through all the incidents that occur will occur in the no-show.

The chronograph watch digital voice recorder is a unique clock, giving the impression of a normal analog clock, but nobody knows that this little device is, in fact, seems to control largeequipment. This in fact works like a real watch that can provide the time accurately. It is wonderfully designed and it has the capability to record 9 hours of recording onto the integrated 512 Mb flash memory.

The earphones can be plugged directly if someone needs playback instantly. All the voice data can be transferred to the PC with the help of the USB port using the data cable and subsequently listen to the voice on any media player in line with individual's ease. Besides you can download the MP3 file, reminders and notes as well in this exclusive Chronograph wrist watch digital voice recorder. Consider buying one now!