Hasta La Gadget!

It’s quite the chilly day across much of the U.S. So instead of going out, try shopping from the comfort of your home. Check out Gearlog’s deals for Wednesday, January 28:

1. What better way to spend a cold winter’s day than by sitting at home watching movies? There are 80 classic and contemporary box sets on sale for as low as $13.18 from DeepDiscount.com. Get great sets like the “The Christopher Reeves Superman Collection” for $32.35 (originally $68.95), the “Dirty Harry” series for $38.34 (regularly $79.95), or the “Frank Sinatra and Gene Kelly Collection” for just $13.18 (normally $29.95). Check out all of the titles. The sale ends at noon CST on February 13, 2009.

2. MacMall is offering software and USB hubs free after rebates. That’s right, get Internet Cleanup 5.0 for Mac, IMSI ClipArt & More 3.5 Million, and SmithMicro ArtRage Deluxe 2.5. They’re also offering the Iogear 4-Port Hi-Speed USB 2.0 Hub free after rebate. Offer ending is unknown. [Via Bargainist.com]

3. Save 60 percent off the Pentax Optio 12MP digital camera with 3x optical shake reduction zoom from Buy.com. The camera has a list price of $299.99, but you can get it on sale for $119.99.

Mondays aren’t all bad. Yes, the weekend is over, but let these bargains brighten your day. Check out Gearlog’s deals for Monday:

1. Sellout.Woot is offering the Pentax Optio Z10 8MP Digital Camera with 7X Optical Zoom today for only $89.99. The camera has a list price of $258, so this is quite a steal.

2. Another great deal from Woot, Woot.com is offering the Philips 42-inch 1080p LCD HDTV for $649.99. The TV normally goes for $1,998. The deal is first come, first serve, so check it out.

3. OK, enough Woot deals: Today is the last day of Best Buy’s two-day Winter Wonderland Sale. Save on digital cameras, camcorders, memory cards and flash drives, iPod speakers, and lots more. Check out the sale for all the deals.

Olympus’ E-30 just recently began to hit store shelves after being announced last November, and the shutterbugs at DigitalCameraReview have taken the liberty of critiquing it for all prospective buyers to see. The cam maintained the quirkiness that tends make an Olympus, well, an Olympus, but when it came down to actual performance, the DSLR didn’t disappoint… much, anyway. It should be noted that it couldn’t hold a candle to the D90 at ISO 3,200, so low-light fiends may want to look elsewhere. That aside, critics were more than pleased with the copious amount of features, the top-shelf focusing speed and the remarkable build quality. If it were priced a few hundies lower, it’d almost be a no-brainer, but with an asking price of around $1,300 at present time, it’ll be hard to sway the eyes of those already focusing on another shooter. Have a look at the read link for a few sample shot comparisons and the full writeup.

Filed under: Digital Cameras

Olympus E-30 DSLR reviewed: distinctly different, but that’s a good thing originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 24 Jan 2009 13:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The technology has long been there, all it takes is the development needed for it to become consumer-friendly in regard to the price. And that’s exactly what happened. Twenty years back, Elizabeth Goldring from MIT visited her optometrist, completely blind. During her session, the doctor used scanning laser opthalmoscope (SLO) to project images into her unseeing eye to test her retina. Recognizing the possibilities of such a technology, the “seeing machine” started development. [The camera is “a ‘seeing machine’ that can allow some people who are blind or visually challenged to access the Internet, view the face of a friend and much more.”–Ed.]

The original SLO diagnostic device costs $100,000 and is obviously beyond the reach of ordinary consumers. Prior to the current version, a desktop model was developed costing $4,000, which is still a bit pricier than Goldring would have wanted. Numerous changes were made to the original SLO machine, perhaps the most important of which is replacing the laser with LEDs – a much cheaper alternative. With the advent of smaller LCDs and other components for the device, the “seeing machine” evolved into something portable and affordable.

The current prototype is a five-inch square gadget attached onto a digital camera that provides the visual feed projected onto a visually-impaired person’s eyes through a single point of light. “This is not magnification,” said Quinn Smithwick from the MIT Media Lab. “What makes this work is focusing the data into a tiny spot of light.” Goldring says the machine could be made for $500 each, hence the possibility of mass production.

Samsung has already thrown most of its excitement out here at CES, and after looking at the SL102 and SL420, you might argue that “most” should actually be “all.” Nah, there’s nothing intrinsically awful about either of these 10.2 megapixel shooters, but they’re certainly amongst the most ho hum delivered at the show. Both of the SL-Series devices also offer up Face Detection, rechargeable Li-ion batteries and Digital Image Stabilization technology. As for differences, the SL102 packs a 3x optical zoom and a 2.5-inch LCD, while the SL402 includes a 2.7-inch LCD monitor and a 5x optical zoom. Like we said, pretty boring, but we don’t doubt their ability to get the job done if it really came down to it.

Filed under: CES, Digital Cameras

Samsung intros SL102 / SL420 point-and-shoots, no one notices originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 09 Jan 2009 23:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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