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  • Bestselling Gadgets 2008 - Apple iPod touch 32 GB (3rd Generation) NEWEST MODEL
  • Nikon 7430 Monarch Waterproof Binoculars
  • Apple iPod Touch Version 2
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Bestselling Gadgets 2008 - Apple iPod touch 32 GB (3rd Generation) NEWEST MODEL

via astore.amazon.com

Genius Mixes
Now the Genius feature is even more powerful. Introducing Genius Mixes. All you do is sync iPod touch to iTunes, and Genius automatically searches your library to find songs that sound great together.

September 27, 2009 | Permalink | Comments (1)

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Nikon 7430 Monarch Waterproof Binoculars

Nikon Monarch Binocular

Nikon7430 

Buy Now from Amazon

Nikon 7430 Monarch 8 X 42mm All Terrain Binoculars


Product Details


 Size: 8x42 
 Brand: Nikon 
 Model: 7430 
 Dimensions: 3.10" h x 6.00" w x 7.80" l, 1.89 pounds 
 Features

 Ultra rugged, rubber-armored, roof prism design   
  Multicoated lenses for bright, clear images    
 Precision aligned optics for extended viewing   
 100% Waterproof/Fogproof    Extended eye relief and central focus for viewing convenience   

Customer Reviews

Performance at a reasonable price 

I really like these binoculars. They are light, bright, work well with eyeglasses and I give five stars because they are excellent value. I bought these binoculars for a nature trip in the Amazon and I use them in the back yard, on hikes and occasionally at the symphony or opera. My sister, an ornithologist, told me to get the most expensive binoculars I could afford. To her binoculars are a professional tool but I really didn't want to afford a thousand bucks like she was suggesting. She also told me to try out binoculars in dim conditions and to get 8x42 rather than 10x42 because it is easier to find what you are looking for and easier to hold so that the view is not shaking.

In the store I compared these with the same power Leica. The Leica was nice but a lot heavier. I could tell the Leica was better, but not three times the price better. It was dusk, overcast and drizzling (ideal conditions for trying out binoculars). For example, I was looking at the brick work under the awning on a building about a block away from the store. I could see more detail in the brickwork and felt more `there' with the Leica. In brighter conditions the difference is less noticeable and I like the lighter weight of the Monarchs.

On the Amazon trip I has the opportunity to compare binoculars with other people. Most people had brought cheaper binoculars and I think as a result their wildlife watching experience was compromised. The only people who had brought comparable binoculars were avid bird watchers. They had Opticrons which are in the same price ballpark as the Leica. Again, they are excellent binoculars but not three times better.

I like the hard rubber-armor construction. It does not become slippery when wet. They feel solid but light. I am not so nervous about dropping the binoculars as I would be with the Leica or Opticrons. The firm turn-and slide eyecups (like the Lieca) are a huge improvement over the fussy soft foldable rubber eyecups found on many other binoculars.

Nikon Monarch ATB: Reference Value Binos, Part 1

 Excellent quality binoculars are indispensable for many activities to include tactical operations, general recreation, watching sporting events, wildlife watching, and hunting. In this three part video series, Nutnfancy takes an in-depth look at features, terminology (simplified), and specifications that will make a difference in the performance of your selected binos. His current reference standard for high value and yet super high quality medium-format binos are the excellent.

Looking for binoculars is a lot like looking for Hifi speakers. As the price goes up, the quality improves. At a certain price point you can no longer tell the next price level is clearly better; it is mostly just different. That is a good place to buy, and is something of a personal judgement. Minolta has some binoculars that are priced between the Monarchs and the high end and I think the Monarchs are every bit as good.

Tack sharp, lightweight and well worth owning.  

I did alot of research before deciding on this pair. As an experienced photographer, optical quality was my top priority. 

I originally purchased them for hiking and long range mountain scanning in southern Oregon, and while initially perplexed between the 10X or 8X version; I found the extra sharpness of the 8X resolution negated the need for a 10X magnification, because they rendered so much detail. 

With the 8X, I spotted a fire lookout station that I'd never seen before, on a mountain 15 miles out of town. Quite remarkable. Added to that, was the research at Cornell University's Ornithology Center on the web. Birdwatchers extraordinaire; who called them a steal. I concur. I never thought I'd be so happy paying this price for binoculars, but it was a no brainer. Tack sharp, lightweight and well worth owning. 

Nikon 7430 Monarch 8 X 42mm All Terrain Binoculars

Bargain of the century? 

Bought these bins recently, they really are excellent, very easy to use, good feel, amazing light gathering and reproduction, and only 1 and 1/2 pounds. If you read Cornell Lab of Ornithology review, there is only 1 set of binoculars under 1000 dollars that beat these,(and they are 6x lenses not really suitable for general birding.)Everything about them feels and works like 1000 dollar lenses with two exceptions, the lens cap and raingaurd, the former in particular would be a disgrace on 50 dollar lenses, i am going to see if i can buy generic replacements. Lots of other web reviews also rave about them, and 98% of people would not tell the difference between these and top range Zeiss, Leica etc. And for 300 dollars you can take them anywhere and enjoy them. 

Nikon Monarch ATB





August 10, 2009 in Gadgets | Permalink | Comments (0)

Technorati Tags: binoculars, nikon monarch, sport

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Apple iPod Touch Version 2

The second iteration of the iPod touch equals or improves upon its predecessor in almost every physical facet. Slimmer, lighter and more functional, the v.2 also gets new volume control buttons, full Nike+ integration and a built-in loudspeaker. It's not a radical change, but it's better.


 


This is an impartial review based on my experience of the iPod Touch 2nd Generation, and other Personal Media Players. 

Strengths: 

+ WiFi and Safari Browser. Superb mobile browsing experience. For example, you can stream BBC iPlayer to the Touch perfectly. A real joy. 

+ Youtube widget for playback of youtube videos. 

+ Integrated Nike + Support, so that you can use the device as a training tool for exercise. 

+ App Store. You can download from thousands of Apps on iTunes, including games, and stream internet radio, for instance. 


+ Superb capacitive glass touch screen. Older touch screens use `resistive' technology. These work on a different principle, and are less responsive. (The Archos 5 uses a resistive screen. The Cowon S9, however, uses a capacitive one like the iPod Touch). 

+ Incredible User Interface. Beautifully conceived and implemented. Music and Videos are organised with an astonishing attention to the user's goals, and you regularly feel that Apple designers have read your mind when you go about tasks. 

Here's an example: you wish to download a podcast. You go to an internet address in Safari. Safari automatically grabs the address, boots you into iTunes (on the device itself), and takes you to the podcast listing within the iTunes store. Two more clicks and you're downloading your content. That's the way things should be done. 

+ Advantages over the previous generation include a dedicated volume rocker, slightly more curvaceous design, slightly improved battery life, integrated Nike + support and mini speaker. 

Weaknesses: 

- Very, very average sound quality. Now it is a mystery to me why so many users and reviewers overlook this issue. Having owned the Touch, I have come to the conclusion that it is stylish Swiss Army Knife whose MAIN BLADE is blunt. 

It is true that many people will have no issue with the sound quality probably because their only reference point to the world of personal media players is the iPod brand. This is useful ignorance, because I would challenge anyone not to be thoroughly crestfallen with the sound of this device compared to something as cheap yet beautiful sounding as the Sansa Clip. 


- Video playback. If you are happy to be locked into the iTunes universe, then you will love this device. You will endlessly pay for movies and will enjoy them on this device. If like me, however, you like to play your own physical DVDs in DivX format,in addition to a range of movie files in various formats and codecs, then the Touch is simply not your friend. It only supports a few video codecs, which means as a device for video playback, it is somewhat paralysed. 

- Terrible battery life. Three hours of mixed use, and the Touch is wheezing for a recharge. It's great being a Jack of all trades, but Jack gets tired rather too quickly sometimes! 

- Being `locked in' to iTunes. There are some Apple hating brand lunatics who simply disparage anything Apple for the sake of it. For me, I feel that iTunes is an excellent software (especially on a Mac) but it is also limiting. With iTunes organising my device, I can't just drag and drop files onto the Touch, and this is a bit of a pain. But you may feel different, so this one is up in the air... 

Conclusion and buying advice: 

Having owned it, the Touch is either superb or mediocre depending on whether you wish to buy it as 1) your mini WiFi web browser with an App Store, or as 2) your multimedia player. 

1) As a mini browser, it is excellent. Browse the web, download podcasts, stream iPlayer, etc. (But remember, when you're not near a WiFi signal, none of these capabilities count for anything). 

2) But as a genuine media playback device, it just does not cut the mustard. Think of it as a second rank device in a field of stellar performers. The sound quality for music playback is just average, and in some cases, embarrassing when listened to devices made by Cowon, Sansa, iRiver and Sony. And its Video playback is equally crippled by its lack of codec support. 

So what is the bottom line? 

Well, I owned this device but decided to sell it when I bought a £20 Sansa Clip and stopped listening to music on it because the sound quality was so much superior on the Sansa. This is not hyperbole, and I do not hate Apple. In fact, I love Apple, so do take this as objective advice. 

I simply realised that my priority was sound and video quality, and that I would get all of the extra features of the Touch most important to me (namely WiFi and a stunning User Interface) when I buy a Macbook in the future. 

I have since purchased a Cowon O2, which is a stellar sounding device (admittedly without the Touch's `extra' features) but in a league of its own in terms of sound quality for music playback, and movie playback. (It supports a cornucopia of music and video files and in this regard is a much more accomplished device). 

So then, what are you after? 

A mini WiFi enabled device with music/video as an extra? Well then buy the Touch! Go for it. You'll love it and enjoy its brilliance. 

But if the answer is an audiophile experience of sound and video, do not buy this device. Start investigating a Cowon O2 or S9, or an iRiver Spinn. 

Hope this helps. 

- Written by a non-partisan audiophile. 

August 09, 2009 in Gadgets | Permalink | Comments (0)

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