Joby Gorillapod SLR - review

I held off long enough on getting a gorillapod - till today! I'm writing this review just a few hours after purchasing it, something which I don't usually do, but it's a product that's straightforward and easy enough to recommend.

Gorillapod SLR supporting a 500D & 17-85 lens

I regretted not getting this earlier.  It simply is one of the most useful and ingenious mini camera supports I know.

And if you don't already know, a Gorillapod is mini tripod with bendy legs, allowing one to 'wrap' the tripod around natural objects or fixtures such as fences, railings or poles for those casual snapshots.

On paper, Joby claims a max weight of 800g.  As seen in the picture, this 500D + EF-S 17-85 combi tips the scales at slightly more than 900g, but with proper balancing of the tripod legs, it will still support it very steadily.

The tripod itself weights an insignificant 165g, and it uses a universal quarter-inch tripod screw.  The joints are all flexible, with the grey parts being rubberised for added grip.  The mounting plate slots in nicely to the tripod, and provides a simple bubble level. 

Tripod mount

What's missing though is a ball-head system.  I think there's another model with a ball-head, but it's too gigantic for my taste.  Basically to lock the plate in, you simply slide it into the groove till it clicks.  To remove, simply depress the button below and slide the camera out - idiot-proof!

Now this tripod isn't meant to replace a traditional tripod, and neither is it meant to be a professional camera support.  I see this more as a secondary form of camera support, either for a small SLRs or compact camera, to be brought out when I go for casual street shooting, or to be used when taking group shots with friends over dinner where I could at least control the composition instead of handing it over to the waiter who returns more often than not with blurred shots. 

This is not a serious tripod.  I wouldn't recommend it for critical landscape work for example.  The Gorillapod is meant for fun - for those days when I wouldn't lug my big Manfrotto 190xprob around town, this is the perfect replacement. 

Lock ring - to lock the tripod plate in for added security

Gorillapod supporting 430ex with Trigmaster

But wait! There's more! Besides supporting cameras and videocams, I think this is the perfect support for flashes as well.

Seen on the left, the Gorillapod will support flash units such as my Canon 430exii - perfect when using off-camera flash.  Instead of holding the flash with my hands or getting an assistant to do that, I can wrap the Gorillapod around nearby objects.  This makes for very versatile lighting setups.

To sum it up, there's very little to complain about the Gorillapod SLR, and there's every reason why any photographer would benefit from one of these accessories.  It's a no-brainer, if you're scouting for a tripod which will fit into the bag, THIS IS IT.

The Joby Gorillapod SLR - 5 stars.  Very pleased!

Norton AntiVirus 2011 - first impressions

If you know me, I've been a faithful Norton AntiVirus (NAV) user for quite a long time. I wasn't particularly crazy over NAV a few years back, but in recent years, NAV has dramatically improved and today, it is, IMHO, one of the best antivirus solutions out there.

As part of my subscription, Norton offered me a free upgrade to the latest 2011 version. I installed it without hesitation, and I'm bursting with excitement to share my first impressions with you, because good has become even better.

Firstly, installation was lightning fast - super easy and fuss-free. After a reboot and an activation screen, NAV is setup and ready to use.

Norton AntiVirus 2011 main screen

This is the home interface for NAV 2011. I think it's comprehensive without being too intimidating. New in this version is a map which shows worldwide cyber crime activity for the past 24 hours. Cool. Only gripe with this new UI is that the system status at the top could be more prominent.

NAV sidebar gadget (top)

Norton also provides a sidebar gadget for Windows, which shows you at a glance your system status, and provides two buttons below - one to launch NAV with the Activity Map, and the other with Norton's online backup.

Performance

NAV, back in the XP-era, always had a reputation of being big, intrusive, bloated and a memory hog.  But with this version, I can confidently say it's far from that.  NAV 2011 is a full-featured antivirus software which doesn't compromise on performance.  It is blazing fast, lightweight, and doesn't slow down your system.  Everything feels snappy.  LiveUpdate works fast, the main screen is almost instant start-up, and scan times are the BEST I've seen from any security software.  Doing a quickscan (after running Norton Insight once) only took me 15 seconds.  Mind-blowing!

NAV's performance screen - allows you to see how much resources its sapping up

Security

I don't have scientific test results to convince you, but I'd say that Norton AntiVirus is very effective, both in protecting you from threats and removing them.  Ever since I've used Norton, not a single threat went unnoticed - even those minor tracing cookies gets picked up in scans.  And ever since I've used Norton, my computer has not been infected with any malware.  That's all I can say - it is pretty darn good.  Provided, of course, you update virus definitions.

Norton Facebook wall scan

New in this version are also two new type of scans you could perform - one is a reputation scan (checks the trust level, age and prevalence of programs and processes on your computer) and the other one - now this is interesting - is a Facebook wall scan, which scans your facebook wall for potentially dangerous website links.  Very innovative. 


Customisation

Settings panel

At first look, the settings panel is intimidating.  There's so many things for the user to tweak, so many options and settings.  The one I'd recommend to adjust is to turn on Microsoft Office Auto Scan.  You could slowly ploy through the other options and adjust them as you please.  If not, the defaults are fine.

Norton Insight

Norton Insight

So how does Norton accomplish it? A full-featured solution without the bulk and the heft? It's every security company's dream right? This is where the intelligence lies - Norton Insight.  What Insight does is to scan your computer processes against Norton's list of safe processes.  Once it has been trusted by Norton, any subsequent computer scans performed will skip through scanning those processes, thus achieving quick scan-times.  Very smart, and works extremely well.

Conclusion

This is just my first impressions of NAV.  If you're the kinda guy who will only be convinced by charts, graphs and numbers, Google for another review.  But if you're a normal home-user like me, and you're looking for a standard anti-virus software for PC protection, hands-down, I'd recommend Norton AntiVirus 2011.  It is excellent in almost every aspect. 

If money's an issue though, you could also consider the free and excellent Microsoft Security Essentials.  It's good, but not quite up-to-par with Norton.

Microsoft Security Essentials review: good enough?

When Microsoft Security Essentials (MSE) first launched, I wrote a post about how this could spell doom for security software companies like Norton, but I also expressed my apprehension about free anti-virus software. I mean, Microsoft states it clearly that it is essentials. So is this a good enough anti-malware solution for home users?

I've been using MSE as my sole anti-virus software for three months now on two Windows laptops. One is running Vista business, the other is a netbook with 7 Starter. Before that, I was using Norton products, but when my subscription expired, I figured out that renewing was costly and so decided to give MSE a chance. (By the way, I'm still a big Norton fan.)

So can MSE replace Norton Anti-virus?

If you don't want to read through the rest, the short and simple answer is YES.

MSE indeed lives up to its promise of being a lightweight, hassle-free, top-notch anti-malware software. I don't know if this brings you any assurance, but at least I felt more secure knowing that MSE is based on the same protection technologies as Microsoft Forefront.

Microsoft Security Essentials main console

The installation was fuss-free and quick. Once installed, Windows Defender gets disabled, which is only natural since MSE is a superset of Defender. MSE's user interface is spartan, but extremely clear and well-organised. At one look you'll know if your system is healthy or not. Green means good, red means bad, yellow means at risk... couldn't be more straightforward.

Virus definition updating takes place either within the MSE console, or via Windows Update. You can update manually, or MSE will do it automatically in the background. There are new definitions released daily. It is really unobtrusive - no funny pop-up messages and what not - it just works.

Now the big question on every user's mind: is MSE effective in malware protection?

This I can't speak with authority, because everyone's mileage will vary. But I will say this: if you're a cautious user like me, then MSE is sufficient to keep you protected real-time from all the threats like worms, viruses, spyware, trojans etc.

Of course this gets tricky because 'cautious' is subjective and hard to define. What I mean by cautious includes not surfing dangerous websites, scanning files on download, running only programs you trust, scanning removable media before opening, doing weekly scans and so forth. If you're a careful computer user, and you don't intentionally do stuff that could harm your system, then MSE will keep you safe. But if you purposely visit malicious sites, install suspicious software, then I can't say with certainty MSE will protect you because I haven't been in that situation before.

All I can say is that in the three months, I have had zero virus attacks/infections using MSE as my only anti-virus. So to me, MSE is as good as Norton in protecting me from threats. Just today I plugged my friend's infected thumb drive into my computer, and immediately, MSE alerted me about the trojan before it even opened the contents. So from that one experience I can say real-time protection does work.

But surely MSE isn't perfect. There are areas which I felt could improve. Firstly, the scan times are quite long. I'm used to the super-quick quick scans from Norton products, so in comparison MSE's quick scan is noticeably longer. Also, full system scans may take anywhere between 1-2 hours depending your computer. It's a really long wait.

So to conclude, if you can't afford or don't want to pay for Norton anti-virus or similar products, I can safely recommend MSE to you and I'm sure it will keep your system safe and running. But of course if money is no issue then go get Norton, because Norton does have a few advantages and extra features. The real question is if these extras (like Norton file insight etc) are worth the money. That's only for you to decide. My advice is to first try out MSE, and if it isn't good enough then buy Norton. If it is, and for most people it will be, then keep on using MSE because it never expires!

It's hard to come across such good software. Microsoft has got anti-virus right. It's free, small, light and good. I never thought this day would come.

The must-get free App Store game: Cube Runner!

I'm not the sort of person who would actually recommend playing a game, but for perhaps once in my life, this game is worth checking out. It's called Cube Runner, a free download from the App Store for iPhone and iPod touch version 2.0. Simple, fun, challenging and has much replay value!

The video below shows you what the game is all about:



As you can see, the App Store has transformed the iPod touch into more than just a multimedia player. Increasingly, it is becoming a viable gaming platform too, with it's unique combination of accelerometer and touch-screen interface.

More iPod touch 2.0 screenshots

1) The lyrics function: (To add lyrics in iTunes, right click on track, select 'Get Info' and edit 'Lyrics')


2) Google maps, which is way cool! You can view it in 'satellite' mode as shown, or 'map' mode, and using Wi-Fi triangulation technologies, maps is smart enough to detect my location (my house in Hougang) as pictured below. However, one disadvantage (more so on the iPhone 3G with GPS) is the lack of turn-by-turn navigation.


3) Scientific calculator (when iPod is turned to landscape mode):


4) Tap Tap Revenge is THE best free game app available as of now on the app store. A simple music tapping game, very well executed with wonderful graphics, supports awesome double player mode, has a vast range of difficulty levels and allows you to download additional tracks. However, it's a bit buggy at times... but still fantastic play! (No. 9 top free app on the app store now)


Will continue to post more Software 2.0 reviews in the coming days!

iPod touch is the ultimate iTunes remote control

Today I tested out the remote control third-party application which allows my iPod touch (or iPhone) to remotely control my computer's iTunes library via Wi-Fi. With that, I can play, pause, fast forward and rewind tracks from anywhere around my house.

Here's a video of how it looks like:



However, do note that in order for the pairing to be successful, you need to disable your firewall (for both Mac and PC). Once paired, the performance is rather snappy and is very full-featured, assuming a reasonably fast connection speed. You can even play video files remotely, browse playlists and search for content on your computer.

As a free download from the App Store, this is highly recommended, and you can trust that it's stable as it's written by Apple.

Software update 2.0: The feeling of a new iPod touch

I'm so excited about the iPhone/iPod touch software update 2.0 that I don't quite know where to begin. Ok, I created an iTunes account today (yes it's now in Singapore exclusively for iPod touch/iPhone owners), paid 10 bucks and downloaded the 2.0.2 update for my 16GB iPod touch, previously running 1.1.5.

After a long-drawn and somewhat frightening update process which lasted about an hour, I finally have third-party apps! The initial feeling is beyond description... it's like having a completely new iPod! The improvements are SO significant from 1.1.5 and I think every iPod touch user MUST buy this update.

I'll be playing around with this "new" device and will post more stuff in the coming days. But for now, here's what impressed me:

The first thing was the third party apps. I was surprised at how easy it is to install and run them. They really add functionality to your iPod, and lots of fun too. I recommend trying out "Tap Tap", a free music game, and the Remote Control application which can control your iTunes library. Second, the ability to capture screenshots (.PNG) to transfer to your computer. Third, lyrics on the iPod. This may sound trivial, but it means a lot to me since I've been using it on my old iPod nano. Fourth, the apps from the January software update, which includes mail, notes, stocks, maps, weather. This also includes the customisable home screen and web clip.

All in all, this is a very affordable upgrade, and gives your otherwise bland iPod home screen a fresh new look. A word of caution though, the update process is quite time consuming, albeit automated. The restoring of music and videos took the longest time for me. I also noticed that with new applications, the iPod seems slightly more laggy. Well, after I get over the reality distortion field, I'll review this update proper :)

Maxtor Basics 3.5" External Desktop HDD

Got this hard drive from Challenger to backup my data today. Took the 250GB version. This is the second external hard drive that I got in my attempt to stick to my philosophy in data backup, which is to backup the backup. The other 3.5" drive is a much prettier Seagate FreeAgent 250GB.

First impressions of the Maxtor? Boring, but very functional. This drive is reasonably priced, connects through USB, has a standard speed of 7200RPM, comes pre-formatted in NTFS and doesn't include any junk software. It is completely black all around and looks like a rounded brick, which makes it look very dull and serious, as compared to the more funky design of the FreeAgent. Clearly, the Maxtor Basics is a utilitarian device which does nothing more than it is supposed to do. That's great actually, as I absolutely detest drives preloaded with a load of crap trialware!

For a peace of mind, the Maxtor comes with a 3 year warranty, but it is still 2 years shorter than that of the FreeAgent. I've not heard disastrous stories with Maxtor drives, so with fingers crossed I hope this drive is lasting.

However, there is one area the Maxtor can improve on, which is that of design. There is no rubber padding beneath the drive to prevent it from shifting about when placed on the table, since the bottom is quite smooth. The inclusion of either a rubber protector or a stand would be best.

Overall, a very sensible, no frills hard drive worth considering if all you need is storage space.

Eee PC 4G: hands-on

The recent trend in mobile computing is to create affordable, portable, and somewhat underpowered ultra mobile PCs (UMPCs). Asus was one of the first to launch a cheap UMPC which sold like hotcakes, and that is none other than the well-known Eee PC.

It has already been on the market for a while, and there are new competing machines such as the HP Mini-note, which is a great road warrior btw. I have been playing with the 7-inch Eee PC in stores before, but today I had the chance to physically interact with it at home for a while. My dad's friend just got a 4G version, and so I explored it. :)


This machine runs on Linux, and uses software such as OpenOffice, SMPlayer and Firefox as alternatives to Office, WMP or IE on Windows respectively.

It costs around S$400, so quality isn't top notch. It is worth your every cent though, despite how 'toy-ish' it feels. It is a no-frills, simple to use, straightforward machine with emphasis on the Internet (web 2.0 stuff such as Google Docs) and also on education (there is a dictionary and periodic table pre-installed).


Extremely portable, the Eee PC is an ideal choice for students, or for casual web-surfing and presentations to clients. I like the 3 USB and VGA ports, but don't quite like the small low-res 7-inch screen. Of course there is the bigger 9 inch model, which promises more screen space. This Eee PC runs on 512 MB RAM, but it feels snappy.


There is plenty of simple games installed too, but too kiddish for adults. This is a potato game that Shawn really enjoyed:


And that's Shawn posing with the 'Penguin Racer' game on screen, which is a lot of fun too!


However, no computer is ever perfect. What I don't quite like is the stiff mouse button, the small trackpad, the small 'backspace' key which I always miss... and to nick-pick, the hinge is a tad too stiff.

Overall, highly recommended as a secondary laptop. Verdict: 4/5

Advantages: very affordable, portable and light. Performs acceptably well and has a neat and user-friendly interface. Also has a handy black casing which fits the Eee PC snugly.

Disadvantages: Screen too small and 4GB flash drive is pathetic (can slot in an SD card to solve that).

An iPod touch review

People say that Apple is a drug, once you’ve tasted it, you’ll want more and more. I can’t help but agree that there’s a certain amount of truth to this statement, because I find myself keep wanting the latest products from Apple, especially iPods. What the heck, so I bought an iPod touch 16GB as my main iPod replacement a few days ago from the Orchard “flagship” Apple store. (8GB version is retailing for S$498, the larger 16GB version is going for S$698.) FYI, 6 months before this, I got a 1GB shuffle.

iPod madness
I hope that I’m not iPod mad, but for the record, I have 4 iPods around the house as of now. A 1st generation iPod nano 1GB (which used to be my main iPod), a 1st and 2nd generation iPod shuffle (both 1GB too), and today, the multi-touch 16GB device.


I donated the nano to my sister, the 1st generation shuffle to my mom, leaving me with 2 iPods.

I find it interesting that I’ve never purchased a hard drive based iPod before, and three of the four iPods are all 1GB of storage, which of course doesn’t hold my fast exploding music library. Thus the touch is the first iPod that, alas, holds my entire library (music, podcasts, videos), contacts and photos in a single location. Sweet. And not to mention that it doubles up as a sort of “mini” PDA. The internet feature is absolutely useful, allowing me to connect to most wireless networks, such as wireless@sg, so that I have internet access almost wherever I go. Furthermore, the multi-touch (pinching, tapping and flicking) is truly revolutionary and a joy to use. It makes navigating around easy-peasy!

It ain’t perfect...
BUT… the touch is not without drawbacks. Firstly, it can’t be used as a mass storage device where you can backup your data files. This is puzzling because most other iPods (like the shuffle) can be enabled for disk use. So don’t purchase this if you’re using this as a “thumbdrive”.

Secondly, the touch cannot display lyrics for music tracks, something which all other iPods with screens can do. I rely on this feature a lot for viewing podcast show notes, so it was infuriating initially, but the multi-touch more than makes up for it.

Thirdly, the metallic back is a fingerprint magnet, as with all other iPods except the shuffle. This was expected. Thankfully, a cleaning cloth was provided, but there was no carrying case. Argh. (The black squarish thingy at the top left is the 802.11b/g Wi-Fi antenna.)


Fourthly, the iTunes Wi-Fi store is an unusable feature since it's not available in Singapore, so you can’t buy tunes from the touch. Lastly, I would really appreciate a song search feature, because scrolling through 700+ songs in search of one can be a painful task at times.

Third-party apps will save the day
However, despite these small quirks here and there, the experience was nevertheless pleasant, even impressive. Setting it up was straightforward (assuming you have the latest version of iTunes and OS X 10.4.10/XP SP2/Vista), but the first sync was painfully long for a big library like mine. When unwrapped, you'll notice it's extremely delicate and fragile, so I would advice getting a carrying case/screen protector/iWrap.

One more thing, I guess the real benefits of the touch will only be evident when third-party apps are available on the touch/iPhone from the iTunes store late next year. For now the functionality may seem limited, and it is somewhat, but the third-party native applications will save the day eventually and justify the cost you paid, I believe. I hope to see a native instant-messaging app, a mail app, a word/spreadsheets apps, some games… and much more.

Busting myths
Contrary to the popular complain that the on-screen keyboard is difficult to type, my answer is that it isn’t, and with a bit of getting used to, practice and trusting the dictionary function, you can actually type acceptably accurately.

Also, the touch uses the standard headphone jack for earphones, unlike the iPhone which uses an unfriendly jack.

Summing it up
I'm very happy with my purchase and have no immediate regrets. In fact, I've never had any problems with iPods before, they are reliable and rock-solid players.

Get the iPod touch if…
- the iPhone is not supported in your country
- you hate AT&T but love the iPhone and will not jailbreak
- you need to be connected online on the go (to check webmail etc.) Oh there’s no built-in Mail app like in the iPhone and bluetooth is excluded too, what a pity!
- you need a player for videos/photos
- you want to enjoy multi-touch
- you want a superior multimedia player that “just works”

Don’t get the iPod touch if…
- you want a player to accompany you during jogging/exercise
- you want a player that’s value for money
- you want to use it as an external HDD
- you drop things easily
- you can’t live without lyrics
- you hate iTunes

And I’ll end off with more photos! (Click to enlarge)

What's in the box...

Gorgeous Cover Flow view when iPod is tilted horizontal...

It's safari!! The full, desktop-like web browsing experience that displays webpages just as it is on a computer!

Pre-installed calculator application with super huge buttons...