Showing my complete lack of self-control I traveled to the local SonyStyle store and purchased Webbie HD. I pan on doing a comprehensive review shortly, but with a project coming to a head this week, my idea of shortly may be different from yours. So here is the first look:

What is It

If you go to the SonyStyle site they provide this quick description “The pocket-sized Webbie HD camera is your perfect companion, ready to record antics at a moment’s notice. Not only does it record HD MP4 video that plays nicely with sites like YouTube^™, it also snaps off sharp, 5-megapixel still shots with ease.” The point is ease of use in both shooting and uploading footage. This is not going to replace a more expensive video camera.

Ease of Use

I unboxed, charged and then used it to take some video without checking the manual. I like to give gadgets a first go around without reading the manual. Kind of ironic for someone who makes his living writing manual and training guides, but I like to get a feel for how well the device is designed.

It’s pretty straightforward to shoot with a clear movie and photo button. There is also a button marked with a play button that should be obvious for folks that have used a digital still or video camera. The camera is very right-handed (which is OK for me). I find the movie button is not in a very convenient location.

When you flip open the LCD, the camera turns on. And start up is very fast. By default the camera shots 720p video and 5 megapixel stills. You will not discover how to change this without cracking the manual.

First Shots

My first run was a couple of videos, and then I just installed the software on the CD, and uploaded to YouTube. I was curious as to why there was no YouTube option initially (more on that later) so I ended up uploading the MP4 and letting YouTube convert it. It wasn’t low light, but not a real brite scene.

My next go around I found the YouTube uploading option, but it would not work with my YouTube account. This is because my account is logged in through my Google account, and the software does not support that.

I created a new YouTube account for uploads, and even received a few comments about the device. Here are some early samples:

This is the first video I shot. I wish it would handle low-light better, but it is limited by the small sensor:

This is a better shot, there was better light. Both clips display how good the sound is:

Finally, a clip from far away, in a conference room as David Pogue sings 1 1/2 songs (I missed the beginning of the first):

You can see in that shot that the focus can be a little sluggish, and hard to keep steady at full zoom.

CES is upon on us, which is bad news for me. I suffer from a condition called gadget lust. In general this is something that I use to my advantage in my chosen profession. I enjoy working with new technology, but sometimes it affects my bank account.

Sony came out with a number of new products this week. You can see information on their web site. Thankfully no updates to the eReader line (as I just purchased a 700) but they have jumped on the mini-video band wagon hard with two new products The are calling Webbie HD cameras.

These are obviously inspired by the success of the Flip line of cameras. I have a friend who has one, and I have been impressed by their quality (and this is not the HD version). The Sony’s are full 1080 HD (Flips new HD is 720). Another advantage is that they take memory cards. unfortunately they stick with the Sony’s Memory Stick format, but still, compared to have no expandability, this is an advantage.

You can use up to a 16GB stick in these, but even with a 4GB (chosen because I have an extra one at home) it is rated to store about 85 minutes of 1080/30p video, 127 minutes at 720/30p and 247 minutes at VGA. Since it takes memory sticks, you could easily swap out to record more if you are going to be away from your computer for a while. And if you buy a new 16 GB stick you can quadruple these figures.

I really like the MHS-PM1 that they are releasing right now. The form factor looks like a minaturized standard camcorder, rather than the vertical style that Flip inspired. The model coming out later will mimic the vertical style, with the addition of a swivel head. But the current model gives you the advantage of a 5x Optical zoom, and a 2.5″ flip out display that can be used just like a standard camcorder. They give no information on the lens that I can find (like aperture) but it has a larger sensor than the flip at 1/2.5″ and the ability to take 5 Megapixel stills, even while shooting video.

The budled software makes it easy to upload your video to sites like YouTube, but only works with Windows. This is a tempting item and I may have to purchase. It could actually be a very helpful tool in my line of work, and fun to play with as well. Always a good combination, except for my bank account, though at $199.95 this is pretty affordable tech for what it does.

I recently got the new Sony eReader PRS-700. It is the latest of three e-reader models that Sony has produced. It will replace my PRS-500. The other current model is the PRS-505. This was not an easy decision, my options included:

1. Keep the 500
2. Purchase a Kindle
3. Purchase a 505
4. Purchase a 700

With this post I want to review the 700, and explain the rationale that led me to that decision. I hope this might help others that are considering the purchase. My first draft went into detail on e-books and e-ink and lots of other stuff, and quickly became a huge post. I will collect thee other thoughts, and post about them later (and edit this post with a link).

What they all have in Common

All four devices have the same size screen, and employ e-ink technology that provides a very sharp display and great contrast in normal lighting. In addition the e-ink technology helps all the devices achieve great battery life. I beleive the 500 and Kindle have the same e-ink display, with the later 505 and 700 utlizing newer, faster displays. Both the Kindle and Sony systems have an easy way to purchase current books as well classics.

Keep the 500

I have had a PRS-500 for a year now, and have enjoyed reading a number of novels on it. I have also experimented creating documents for it with mixed success. The  drawbacks I saw with the 500 was the lack of any built-in light, inability to search, and inability to add notes. You could “dog-ear” a page for reference, but you could not highlight a portion of text or add notes. I had previously used various applications on my PDA to read books, and found the ability to do this invaluable.

Another change with the 500 was the introduction of EPUB format. I can update my 500 to support EPUB for books that do not have DRM, but there is no upgrade to allow the reading of DRM EPUB files on my 500. If you are not sure what DRM is, it is “Digital Rights Managment” and is something many publishers require to make their catalog available. Essentially it is a method to insure that you cannot buy one copy and make unlimited copies. Talking about the efficacy of these systems could take up quite a few posts, let’s suffice it to say I would be limited to books supplied through Sony for purchase.

Purchase a Kindle

My next option was to purchase a Kindle. The Kindle is Amazon’s reader, and has the support of Amazon behind it for titles. It incorporates wireless technology that allows you to purchase books right on the device and have them downloaded to your reader. Pretty nice feature. Where it falls short is the proprietary nature of the device. The only source for DRM books is Amazon. In addition I am a little unclear with adding your own books. They charge a nominal charge to download books like free Project Gutenberg texts wirelessly. I believe you can do it with a USB connection for free, but am somewhat unclear on that.

The Kindle also has a keyboard, and an interesting solution to mark sections of text. With the 500 I could only mark a page, with the Kindle you can mark lines. Not perfect (you can’t start or end a highlight mid-line) but better than my 500.

So, for me, keyboard for search and notes was a win, highlighting was a 90% win, wireless was an intriguing add-on, but I did not like the closed aspect of the system. It did not have a buil-in light. I also could not use any of the books I had already purchased for the 500 on the Kindle, though I have not purchased that many for the the 500 yet. Finally, at the risk of sounding shallow, the largest hurdle was how ugly the Kindle is. I know this reason is scoffed at by many folks, but you gotta look at the thing whenever you use it. I have only briefly looked at a friend’s Kindle, and hope to suck him into doing a better comparison in the future, but the Kindle was a near-miss for me.

Purchase a 505

The 505 was a nice incremental update to the 500. It is slimmer, uses a newer e-ink display with even better contrast and faster refresh, has better storage management for e-books (ability to put into collections) and access to DRM EPUB books which frees you from depending on one vendor. However, still no built-in light or keyboard. However, there is a $70 add-on light that overlays the device, and I could get a $100 for trading in my 500.

Purchase a 700

The 700 really caught my eye. Finally, an e-ink display with a touch screen (easy highlight, pop-up keyboard) and a built-in light. Reports also commented on the speed at which it changed pages. What could be wrong with this? Basically a 505 with even faster screen, a touch screen, and a light. Well, I started my online research and read a lot of reviews commenting on its muddy display. The one that almost sealed it for me was a review of a review on engadget. Luckily I clicked through to the actual review that said it was a negative (but listed a ton of positives) and I took a trip to a SonyStyle store to look at them side by side. Bottom line, the addition of the space for the LED sidelights and the touchscreen does degrade look of the screen a little, but the tradeoffs were worth it in my opinion.

Still, if it is just lighting you want, there is a $70 add on to the 505, and it is better looking screen than the 700. I wanted the ability to highlight and add notes so that swayed me, and I have no regrets. The 700 is $100 more expensive than the 505, but worth it for me. If you are debating, try to take the opportunity to compare them.

Amazon links:
Sony PRS-505/LC Blue Digital Book Reader
Sony PRS-700BC Reader Digital Book
Kindle: Amazon’s Wireless Reading Device

And for the 505 light accessory:
Cover with Custom Light Shield +2 Aaa Batteries

I made  a major change in 2007, I purchased a MacBook Pro to replace my ThinkPad T42. One advantage of owning your own company is that you get to make the decision on equipment purchase. The disadvantage, of course, is that you have to write the check to pay for it.

Of course if I want to continue to do well in the market, I need to make sure what I buy is a wise investment. I have never considered a Macintosh as a work computer. What changed was Apple converting to Intel CPUs and the ability to run Windows. Suddenly I could have a Mac, and still run critical applications for my job.

The tools I own and use include Microsoft Office, Adobe Creative Suite Design Premium, and SnagIt. Tools I use for projects that I need to install on my system for the project duration include Adobe Captivate, Lectora and RoboHelp. Now some applications have OSX counterparts, but as my deliverables are always (to this point) for clients with Windows applications, I cannot rely on the portability of data between systems. Frankly, Word is notorious for having issues going from version to version, so I always try to work in the version of Word the client wants. This means, I need to run Windows.

There are some really great tools for running Windows on a MacBook. Before I took the plunge I verified that I would not have a very expensive toy. At the very least, you can load up BootCamp and run Windows on the MacBook Pro hardware. In fact, there was a brief period, where benchmarking crowned the MacBook Pro the fastest Vista laptop.

Another important fact is that the infamous Apple Tax has all but disappeared. I definitely paid a slight premium over my alternative laptops (I considered another T-series ThinkPad or a Dell Latitude) but it is a premium laptop.

So why pay a premium for a laptop that I have to add tools to just run what I can on a less expensive laptop. Well, I get the added feature of OSX. Just so you know, I am pretty technology neutral. My days of OS passion are long past. My question is will it help me do my job, or not. As an independent instructional designer, I need to be as flexible as possible. By getting a MacBook Pro I was able to familiarize myself with another potential market. I was also able to introduce my self to some Video production by purchasing Final Cut Express.

Now, a year later, I can say I made a good choice. I chose Fusion as my tool of choice to run Windows. It not only runs Windows XP flawlessly for me, it also supports dual-monitors while running in OSX. I also had a project for a client where I was able to use VMWare tools to make an image of the client’s environment and run it on my MacBook Pro, a real boon to that project.

Moving forward I hope to leverage the new capabilities I have. I hope to learn more about Final Cut Express and do some video production, and hope to get some projects the run in OSX. But without that, I still made a good decision.

I plan to follow this post up with more details on the transition. There are definitley things I love about the lapotop (like the back-lit keybord), and things I don’t (like the general feel of the keyboard). But more about that later.