There are a couple of technologies that I’ve been constantly monitoring over the years. Chief among them is Japan’s Kizuna satellite and its promise of a fast satellite internet connection. After some thorough testing, the Kizuna satellite was proven to have download/upload speeds of up to 155mbps. The great thing about this satellite is that it can actually cater to the neighboring Asian countries, the Philippines being one of them or so the propaganda says. Unfortunately a year or two has passed and it seems the potential for the Kizuna satellite to liberate other countries from the usual crappy internet service provided by local telecommunications companies remains a pipe dream.

I’m not sure if they’ve released this service commercially in Japan but I do know that there’s no talk going on at present at marketing this in other countries. Too bad really because all they have to do is sell a few dish antennas, have people subscribe to their service via the internet, issue a few instructions on setting up things and that’s it. Oh well, too bad.

VOIP | Phone Calls via Gmail

Another technology I’ve been keeping my eye on is VOIP or voice over IP. This technology will allow people to each other over the internet. Skype has made some inroads on this one but apparently it’s not that stable as yet. Also for this technology to gain traction, people will have to be comfortable with getting IP phones. I’ve seen this technology being used in some offices where a network of phones is connected via IP while only using one landline number. The absolute solution would have been to have internet calls going to the common cellphone or landline at a fraction of the cost that local telecom firms charge its subscribers. Where Skype falls short, Google stands tall.

Google’s new service centers around Gmail. With Gmail, one guy sitting in front of his computer can call anybody’s cellphone or landline anywhere in the world. Well, almost anywhere. There are still some countries where this service is not available but the great thing is, if you need to call somebody from the US or Canada, you will be able to do so for free! This service is just awesome especially if you think that this is not just some computer to computer call. You’re actually calling somebody on their cellphone or landline. I’m not sure if people have already caught on to this service but I am not seeing this great service getting any space in local publications. A service that benefits only consumers and not the telecommunication companies doesn’t seem to interest the Philippine Daily Inquirer or the Philippine Star at all. It’s unbelievable but it’s true.

I just hope that people will catch on to this one though. As a nation with a lot of OFWs in the US and Canada, this service from Google is a total boon to their relatives but unfortunately this is not receiving the highlight that it deserves.

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1. Kizuna Satellite Internet Testing
2. Kizuna Satellite Internet Is The Answer
3. Call Your Relatives In The US or Canada For Free!

Problem was, these things put together would totally outprice my body (that’s my camera body you perv), also this is what I was seriously considering when I decided to go for an all-in-one lens. I just want to take better pictures dammit, not necessarily professional quality pictures; hence the multipurpose lens. I was sure though that all these protesting friends mean well so I just listened, nodded and forgot everything they told me.

But of course I was gonna research to the best of my abilities. Sure I want something cheap, but I don’t want it to be like crap. The least it could do is to be functional. So I thought I should get the Sigma 18-250mm lens. Well, a few more reviews read later, I was already changing my mind about the Sigma. If you’ve read the last article I read about the best all-in-one Canon DSLR lens, I promptly dismissed Tamron 28-300mm and Canon 18-200mm.

Canon’s 18-200mm wasn’t really up to expectations according to reviews I’ve read. And most reviews were of the same opinion so that was an easy decision to rule it out. The Tamron 28-300mm however was a bit too pricey and so it’s also out of the window. The Sigma 18-250mm however was just about right plus it’s also readily available in the Philippines and priced at only P24,500. So I read all the reviews online that I could get my hands on. My favorite review site however, DPReviews.com, recommended the Sigma 18-250mm, but with reservations. Now ‘but’ is one of those words that I don’t like seeing in reviews or assessments. It’s good but, it’s amazing but, it’s blah blah but…

Good thing I read the reviews at DPReview because there was one lens there that they recommend without any reservation. Meaning they believe that this lens is good. I’m a DPReview fan so when they say that this lens is good, it means that I’m ditching the ‘recommended but with reservations’ Sigma 18-250mm. When I checked amazon.com however, the lens was tagged at $616 and man, that’s a freaking enthusiasm dampener. I was prepared to shell out up to $500 but the $100 increment makes my back ache.

Buying The Tamron 18-270mm in Manila, Philippines

I got a little boost however when my sponsor said that a 20% increase from the original budget is fine so I excitedly went hunting for a Tamron 18-270mm lens for sale in Manila. Here’s the thing though, very very few people sell Tamron lenses in Manila. I tried calling and emailing Henry’s but I couldn’t get through. I went to some forums online looking for people who might be selling Tamron but most of the time all I saw were used lenses. Those who were selling at Sulit.com.ph pegged their prices at P27K which was encouraging. However, I have a general wary disposition towards buying in online forums rather than visiting a store so I decided to rough it out at Hidalgo St. in Quiapo.

This turned out to be a very good decision. A lot of the photography stores there were carrying the Tamron brand but prices ranged from P27K – 30K. I then stopped at Watson and my heart skipped a bit when they said that their Tamron 18-270mm lens only costs 23K. Being the great poker player that I am I didn’t show my excitement but just calmly asked if they accept credit cards. A big fat no. Gah, I was crestfallen. A real steal and I don’t have enough cash to buy it. I went to Henry’s which was just beside Watson and was instantly rewarded. Same price, accepts plastic. Ultimate combination. I was done in 15minutes flat. I included a lens protector as well in my purchase to ensure longevity of my newly purchased Tamron 18-270mm lens.

The guys at Henry’s said that the Tamron price is a promo price so they’re not sure if it’s gonna stay at that price forever. I really didn’t care. I have my new lens and I couldn’t wait to try it out.

I have already attached my new lens to my Canon body and I have to say it’s freaking big! The kit lens I was using is puny in comparison. Here’s a pic of my new lens attached to the Canon 7D and another one with the lens extended. hehehe. Talk about compensating for something.

Tamron 18-270mm on Canon 7D

Tamron 18-270mm on Canon 7D Zoomed Out

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All you need to do is log-in to your Gmail account and then look for the ‘call phone’ icon on the left side. Click on that and you will be then prompted to install a little voice plugin which installs in just a few seconds. Just click on ‘TRY IT NOW’ and then you’re set!

I was actually skeptical about the service and thought that this might just be for US to US calls or Canada to Canada calls. But lo and behold, I tried calling the Smithsonian Institute in New York (teehehehe, I got the number on the internet) and I was able to do so without any problem. The line was clear and I was able to hear the automated answering system. Yes, I was calling their landline via Gmail.

Of course, you will have to get headset with a microphone piece to be able to talk but that’s just a few bucks right? Imagine having to talk to your relatives in the US or Canada for free anytime of the day at no cost whatsoever?

I’m pretty sure our Telecommunications companies will be hit hard by this one. Try it now! Please note that this free service is only applicable to US and Canada calls. All other international calls will not be free. However the calling rates are still ridiculously low.

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There are a lot of waterproof camera housing available in the market today. DiCApac immediately comes to mind when it comes to waterproof camera housings. Their products are very affordable and there are a variety of waterproof camera housings that they sell. These products are also readily available via amazon or on any standalone camera stores all over.

The price of waterproof camera housings range from a few hundred to several thousand dollars for the more high-end variety.

When buying your own waterproof camera housing, take note of the following:

Tips When Buying Waterproof Camera Housing

- the make of your camera ~ don’t just go for generic camera housing. There’s usually a waterproof camera housing for almost every camera model. Just be patient in your research.

- your purpose for buying ~ are you buying a housing because you want to go diving or just to protect your camera from the rain?

- your budget ~ unless you have plenty of money to burn, you might not want to go into the deep end. Some camera housings are more expensive than some high end digital cameras.

- check out customer reviews ~ this is where amazon comes in really handy as those customers who have already purchased the waterproof camera housing you are considering usually leave their review of the product. Of course you can also check the product itself on the net and see what the experts say about the waterproof camera housing of your choice.

Click here –>> For more about waterproof camera housings.

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1. UGTDO* – EOS REBEL T1i DIGITAL SLR CAMERA
2. Canon EOS 7D | My First DSLR Camera
3. Looking For My Perfect Canon DSLR Lens

After several months of playing around with my 18-55mm kit lens, the itch to get a more defined lens is starting to build. I have already researched which lenses I should be getting. I know I want a wide angle lens, and a telephoto lens. Although the kit lens serves as a wide angle lens for now, I’m really struggling with scenes and objects that I wanted to take closer pictures of.

Now the concern really is that if I purchase two lenses, wide angle and telephoto, doing so will create a huge sinkhole in my already empty pockets. I could probably buy both if I win the lottery but since that would take some time and a whole lot of luck, I might as well look for a middle ground. This was the thought that’s running in my mind when I decided to look for a DSLR Camera Lens that would:

a. Fit my budget.
b. Satisfy my need for a wide angle and a telephoto lens
c. Something that would not weigh a ton and a half. I tried my friend’s prime telephoto lens and the blasted thing weighed almost 5 pounds!

I know a lot of so called master photographers would be thumbing down their noses at this idea. But I am not a professional photographer, nor do I have any plans or illusions of being one. I just want to be able to photographs the things I want to photograph. So the answer to my needs would be a multipurpose DSLR camera lens.

Since I am a proud owner of a Canon DSLR camera, I need a multipurpose lens that would be compatible with my camera’s model.

The shortlisted lenses I came up with are as follows:

Canon EF-S 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 IS Standard Zoom Lens for Canon DSLR Cameras

Tamron AF 28-300mm f/3.5-6.3 XR Di LD VC (Vibration Compensation) Aspherical (IF) Macro Zoom Lens for Canon Digital SLR Cameras

Sigma 18-250mm f/3.5-6.3 DC OS HSM IF Lens for Canon Digital SLR Cameras

All these multipurpose lenses prices range from $300 – $500 still nothing to sneeze at, but if you consider the cost of the two lenses well, purchasing any of these will be quite a bargain.

At this point however, I am going towards the Sigma lens owing to some reviews I read about it’s performance. Also, the lens is readily available in the Philippines which makes it more appealing than the Tamron. The Canon lens, well, it’s not something that got away unscathed from expert reviews so I will be steering clear from that one.

Now the only thing that I need to do is save enough so I can buy me one before Christmas comes.

Related posts:

1. Canon EOS 7D | My First DSLR Camera
2. Tamron Trumps Sigma In My Book
3. Canon EOS 7D – DSLR Camera To Die For

One thing that needs to be clarified though, the iPad is not a direct competitor of Amazon’s Kindle. True, it is an ebook reader as well but it is way more than that. The technology and the amount of thought that was put into producing this gadget will certainly push some of the more ubiquitous e-readers off the playing fields. It’s not happening right now but in the foreseeable future, that is bound to happen. Why play with something that can only do one or two things? If you have another product that can do a lot of things and is on the same price range, wouldn’t you gun for that product instead?

Of course with the success of iPad, a lot of pretenders to the computer tablet throne are coming out of the woodwork. Technologizer.com posted an article about potential iPad adversaries. You can check out all these tablets, slates, gizmos here.

With all these so-called pretenders to the throne, one can’t help but go back to the standard, the iPad. And although competition as they say is good, when you have that much option in your plate, you kinda want to go for the sure thing which only serves Apple in good stead.

It’s gonna take a lot of convincing and marketing to keep people away from the iPad.

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Good thing there’s lastpass.com. This is a free service that stores all the usernames and passwords that you have online. So even if your computer crashes or you’re working on a remote location, as long as you have an internet connection you will be able to log on to whatever service you want without the hassle of memorizing your password.

Using last pass is real simple. You just go to lastpass.com and install the extension. Whether you are using safari, firefox, or chrome there is an add-on/extension of lastpass available. If you’re away from your computer, you can always go to lastpass.com, go to your lastpass vault and retrieve any log in credentials you want for the internet site that you want to access.

Once you have the lastpass extension installed, it will offer to save your web profile when you access any internet service. You can even set lastpass to autologin for you when you come back to the service that you’ve already saved in lastpass. Even more than that, lastpass can also suggest highly complex passwords for any service that you’d like to use and of course it will save it and make it available for you the next time you visit the same site.

I’ve been using lastpass for a while now and it has really simplified my online existence. It has also lessened the burden of me having to memorize a lot of passwords which is a lot of hassle.

If you haven’t done so, I recommend that you start using lastpass now. Check out also this short instructional video about lastpass.

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The trouble with pirated software however is that it comes with a lot of risks. Chief among them viruses and malware. There’s also the gnawing feeling of having committed a felony. Using a pirated software does that to you. Buying the original version of Photoshop however is out of the question. It costs an arm and a leg and some other dangling appendage that will forever remain unnamed.

The next best thing therefore is to use an open source software created by a bunch of software saints who I am forever thankful to. The open source photo-editing software I use for my headers and banners and what not is called Gimp. It’s an awesome tool that’s supported by a community of software developers and this one is released for free to the entire world.

I have yet to master Gimp but the great thing about it is that there are a lot of tutorials out there for anything Gimp-related. Youtube is just bursting with Gimp tutorials. If you want step by step text tutorials, there are those as well.

Before, I’m completely helpless when it comes to creating headers for my websites. I often had to rely on free banner creation tools to get my headers. Most of these banner creation tools however would insist that their watermarks be placed on every banner I create, not to mention that the quality is not really that good.

With Gimp I’m able to have full control of my banners, I can make it as ugly or as beautiful as I want. And if there’s something I’d like to know like how to animate the texts in my banners, there’s youtube and a thousand other resources that can help me get what I want.

If you want to give Gimp a try, you can easily download it here. Good luck on your design aspirations, and have fun!

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When you’re an event organizer, or even someone who needs a projector for one specific event or activity, you don’t need to buy a projector every time. You just have to look for a projector rental company and source the projector equipment from them. The benefit is that you don’t need to shell out a lot of money, and you also don’t have to be an expert in setting up or operating the projector needed for your event.

Most projector rental companies will not only provide you with the equipment during your activity but will also provide guidance on how to set up and operate the projectors.

Here are some projector rental companies that you might want to look at.

Projector Rentals Companies | Providers

Atsrentals.com – Projector Rental starts at $79 + shipping expenses. Additional charge for expedited shipments (as fast as 1 business day). Nationwide delivery (US).

Projector123.com – Big player in the projector rentals industry. Rates start at $99/day. Nationwide delivery.

Rentacomputer.com – offers more than projector rentals. Check their website for quotes.

Rentquick.com – Projector Rentals starts at $99/day. Other services offered.

Rentourprojectors.com – long time industry player. Ships to 1000 cities.

If you wish to look at more projector rental companies, you can also take a look at the following projector rental company directory.

Business.com Directory

Things To Consider In A Projector Rental Company

- Check if they have a large delivery network. Better yet, check if they also have expedited or overnight deliveries. This will be very helpful if you’re pressed for time.

- Check if they have various projectors to choose from. Talk to their technical advisers about which projectors is the best and see if they are knowledgeable.

- It would be best if the projector rental company is close to your event/activity location. That way if the projectors prove to be defective, you can have a quick replacement.

- See if they provide the manpower to do the projector set up for you. You don’t want to be doing this all by yourself.

- Check for track record. Better go for projector rental companies that are in the business for a long time and have considerable experience in the field, especially if you have a huge activity planned.

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Having your own home projector is like creating your own movie theater right at the middle of your own home. This is one of the simple pleasures for moviephiles who like to have their privacy when enjoying watching movies.

There are literally hundreds of home projectors out there but these home projectors below are currently the best in the industry.

Best Home Theater Projectors from CNET

CNET only lists three home projectors but they say that these are the best of the best home theater projectors out there.

Samsung SP-A900B
Samsung SP-A800B
Sony VPL-VW200

Toptenreviews.com lists the top 10 DLP projectors. DLP projectors are somewhat technically different from your usual LCD projectors, but they are home projectors just the same. The only difference is that DLP projectors will not have the screen door effect that’s prevalent in LCD projectors. See picture to see what the screen door effect is all about.

Top 10 2010 DLP Projectors

1. Infocus SP8602
2. Vivitek H1080FD
3. Optoma HD20
4. Vivitek H5080
5. Optoma HD200X
6. Mitsubishi HC3800
7. Samsung A600B
8. BenQ W20000
9. Dell 7609WU
10. Optoma HD81

About.com also lists their own top DLP home projectors below:

1. Samsung SP-A800B
2. NEC NP4001
3. Optoma HD806
4. Mitsubishi HC3800
5. Vivitek H1080
6. Optoma HD20
7. Vivitek D326WX
8. Mitsubishi HC1600
9. Optoma HD65
10. Infocus IN76
11. Optoma HD80
12. Optoma HD72

Best Home Projectors Summary

There are still reviews out there in the internet, but most of them are outdated. Technology evolves so fast that if you look at reviews that are over 4months old, trust me that is one old review.

Based on the reviews listed above, notwithstanding Toptenreview’s list, I would recommend buying the Samsung SP-A900B. My personal preference for buying stuff is to see on what the experts agree about. There will always be differences in experts opinions about something that when these guys agree on one product, then it must be good.

Samsung SP-A800B placed prominently in cnet.com and about.com, but SP-A900B is the latest upgrade to that model.  You don’t want to be buying a home projector that’s the second latest model do you?  That is reason enough for me to choose it if I were to buy a home projector.

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