Technology

Here you can have a look at a collection of reviews (written by me) about the technological devices and about the software I judge particularly useful and powerful for pro but also for normal users.

 

Techological devices

 

  •  Fujifilm Finepix S602 zoom
     This digital camera is one of the best deal on the market: it has powerful features at a low price (now maybe less that 500 $). It features a resolution of 3 MPixel (6 MPixel with software interpolation), a fantastic optical 6x zoom (38-210 mm). It's solid and strong-built, ergonomic, perfect for the newbie but also for the pro: together with the normal point-and-shoot modes, you can use the camera in full-manual modes. The image quality and the colors are incredible. The storage media are either SmartMedia and Compact Flash type II (e.g., IBM/Hitachi Microdrive). For a deep review, surf to DP Review or to Fujifilm websites.

     

  •  Compaq Ipaq 3850
     Even if it has been released at the beginning of 2002, this PDA is - for many IT magazines - the best deal between quality and price. With its 64 Mb of RAM and its 206 MHz CPU, has performances that satisfy practically every kind of user. In the case of low storage space available, you can buy additional Secure Digital memory cards. The operating system is Microsoft Pocket PC 2002, containing speficif version (Pocket) of Word, Excel, Windows Media Player, Internet Explorer and Outlook. So you can view and modify files created with MS Office, surfing the Web and listening to MP3/WMA files. Naturally, there are also an Annotation program and an Agenda. In conclusion, this PDA is perfect for pros and also for newbies that wish substitute the old agenda with something very, very more evolved and powerful. The price now should be less than 500 $. For more information, visit HP/Compaq website.

     

  •  Creative MuVo
     This new and original product is not only a MP3/WMA file reader, but also more generally a storage device, which uses the USB interface to share file with a PC or a laptop. You don't need to install drivers (if you use Windows XP or 2000). It's built of due modules: one contains the battery and the other can be slipped off for a USB connection. The price is good (120 $); it is very small (like a lighter) and has a good autonomy (12 hours with a ministilo battery) and a great sound/noise ratio (> 90 dB). As I said before, it can be used to listen to music, or to transfer file of every format, or for both the purposes. Now there are two version of this product: 64 MB and 128 MB. For more information, surf to Creative website.

     

  •  Epson EPL-5900L
     This laser printer, released on the market at the beginning of 2002, is a SoHo product (for Small Offices and Home) with a very competitive price (250 $). It can satisfy everyone needs to print large amounts of pages in black and white at a high quality. De facto, it can print more than 10 pages per minute. The quality is much better than that offered by inkjet printers. The toner included guarantees at least 2500 pages. In the case of jamming, the resolution of the problem is very easy, because this printer has been specifically designed in order to let the user access its components very rapidly and easily. For further information, visit the Epson website.

 

 

Software

 

  •  Adobe Acrobat -- To create pdf file (professional-looking documents, which are viewable with every operating systems)
  •  Jasc Paint Shop Pro -- One of the best and easiest photo and graphic editors
  •  Adobe Photoshop -- The Bible of the photo and graphic editors
  •  ACD Systems ACDSee -- The most powerful and famous image viewer
  •  Techsmith SnagIt -- To shoot "pictures" of every kind of thing that is on your monitor
  •  Macromedia Dreamweaver -- The most powerful Web design tool on the market
  •  SWiSH -- To create Flash animation easily
  •  Nullsoft Winamp -- It doesn't need a presentation...
  •  Syntrillium Cool Edit Pro -- One of the best audio editor and music composer
  •  Elaborates Bytes CloneCD -- To make exact copies of protected CDs (only backup copies, of course!)
  •  Blindwrite -- If CloneCD wouldn't work...
  •  Ahead Nero Burning Rom -- The most powerful CD/DVD burning software
  •  Spam Terminator -- An Italian program that eliminates the spam-problem
  •  GetRight -- One of the best download managers
  •  Zone Labs ZoneAlarm -- The most famous and simple firewall, to protect against hackers' attacks
  •  Jasc After Shot -- Maybe the most powerful program to acquire and handle digital camera pictures
  •  Vidomi -- One of the easiest DVD -> Avi/DivX encoder
  •  DivX Codec & Player -- The best and most famous DVD -> Avi/DivX codec and player
  •  Winzip -- The king of packing/unpacking programs