Sony Action Cam AS30V Review

Sony Action Cam AS30V Review

I got my hands on the latest Action Cam by Sony last week and I can’t help myself but write a review about it since it’s just super awesome. For those who didn’t know what an Action Cam is, it’s actually a camcorder targeted for those who indulge themselves with extreme sports (superbike racing, mountain climbing, surfing etc). Since nobody can see what the person is going through, a Point-of-View (POV) camera is suitable for such situation. It’s going to enable recording during such activities plus providing GPS data to keep track of your route. We’ll see what the Sony Action Cam has to offer.

Hardware and Design

Inside the small package lies the 1/2.3” type back-illuminated Exmor R^TM CMOS sensor with 12 effective megapixel for photos and videos. The lens is the ZEISS® Tessar® Lens if the highest quality and I have to admit, it gave such a nice and sharp shots of mostly everything that’s in focus. With the max aperture of f/2.8, it does provide a clear, sharp images and recordings. However, be aware that the minimum focusing distance for the Action Cam is 30cm and nearer than that would give you an OOF (Out-of-Focus) shots. Recording button on the back is quite flimsy but it does have a lock to prevent from accidental recording that would end up drying up your juice. Underneath the record button is the battery and memory card slot. The battery would last around 2 to 3 hours. Standy would last for a week I guess. The action cam can either too a microSD or Memorystick micro. I get a 64gb microSD since it gave much more recording time for me (around 5 hours of full HD recording or 10k plus shots). The two button on the side are for navigating the menus and a super-small LCD to show the menus. It was built with great aerodynamic since the wind resistance will be much less than the GoPro. The slot for microUSB, microHDMI and mic were placed on the bottom and covered with a flimsy hard plastic cover. Charging is definitely with the microUSB since it remove the hassle of taking the battery out and using the external charger.

Video

The Action Cam maxed out it’s recording at 1080p 60fps with 18mbps. Beside, it also has 1080p 30fps, 720p 120fps (SuperSlowMotion), 720p 60fps (SlowMotion), 720p 30fps and 480p. After using it on a few occasion (especially on my superbike), the Action Cam proved to be smoother though there’s few artefact which I believe came from the waterproof casing. Videos without stabilization will be at 170º and turning it on and you will get a little bit tight which is around 120º. That might be a lot but for me, it works best on some events. Most of the time I would turn off the stabilization just to get the extra view.

Photo

I would say it’s a mixed bag. This little cam is definitely not suited for photos but it does it’s job. Though it gave you 12mp of photos each time you’re on your own selfie, high noise is the drawback. I managed to get a great outdoor shot with great lighting but indoor is very much acceptable. Not very good but you can still see your own smile. Sometimes I would take clips from the video itself cos it looks much cleaner than taking a photo.

Accessories

Sony has thrown mostly everything you can think of. From the headmount to the chest harness, you name it. Mostly are upgrades from its little brother, the AS15V. What you will basically get right from the box are waterproof case, a curvy and a flat sticking mount. Others like the chest harness require you to blow some cash. The most significant of all the accessories is the LiveView Remote. It has a small LCD that act as a viewfinder and it would also act like a watch to show time. You can record from the watch which means you don’t have to go for the cam itself to push the record button. Changing the setting and view was made easy by the watch. It’s also waterproof. That’s why I get one.

Usage

It works great. Sometime, you can just hold it during your walk and you will still get great videos. The cam alone is not waterproof. It requires the waterproof case to make it waterproof and maybe a little shockproof. It will still break if you smash it on the floor though. I had great time using it in the pool with my friends and the SuperSlowMotion mode is very, very smooth. It’s just like peanut butter cream. The cam is built specifically for extreme sport users. However, if you’re a person who prefer travelling alone, this is also the one for you. You can take you own selfie or record whatever you’re going through your holiday. Since I travel alone with my bike, having this is a much better option.

Price

It’s a Sony. You can’t expect a low price. You think this is a junk? It was priced nearly the same with the GoPro3+. I got mine with the LiveView Remote watch and it costs RM1,499. The GoPro3+ was priced the same with a recording remote watch. I guess Sony’s watch is much better since it gave me a look at what I’m recording though it was like a bulk on my wrist. All the accessories were plastic and it’s gonna cost you premium price. Don’t tell people that I didn’t warn you for this.

Final Verdict

This is not a normal camcorder. If you think you’re getting this for your home video, you would better off using your smartphones for that. My Samsung S4 did better home video or even stupid video compared to the Action Cam. Get this cam if you are going jumping off the cliff, bungee jumping or even skydiving or even any other sports that is going to make recording impossible. Videos are smooth, shots are considerably acceptable and it is quite tough. Get this one if you’re going to do so extreme and crazy stuff.

Windows 8 in 2012

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After 7, it will definitely be 8. Yes. That's how Microsoft works on their version of Windows.

According to Steve Ballmer from Microsoft, Windows 8 will make its way to the market next year and it will be compatible with tablets, PCs and more devices (Does my calculator falls into the same category?).

Windows 8 will be optimised for 'a variety of different form factors'

Microsoft will launch the successor of its Windows PC operating system next year, the company’s chief has revealed.

Steve Ballmer said at a press conference in Tokyo that the new operating system would be optimised for tablet devices, PCs and “a variety of different form factors”.

Elsewhere in his speech, Ballmer referred to the next version of Windows as ‘Windows 8’ – a rumour that Microsoft PR has been keen to suffocate.

“We're obviously hard at work on the next version of Windows,” he said.

“Windows 7 PCs will sell over 350 million units this year. We've done a lot in Windows 7 to improve customer satisfaction. We have a brand new user interface. We've added touch, and ink, and speech.

“And yet, as we look forward to the next generation of Windows systems, which will come out next year, there's a whole lot more coming. As we progress through the year, you ought to expect to hear a lot about Windows 8. Windows 8 slates, tablets, PCs, a variety of different form factors.”

No details are yet available on how the new operating system would help game developers.

Let's hope its better and more compatible with more devices. Currently, my Windows 7 laptop is having problem with the USB device. Better check out on that Microsoft.

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HP Pre 3, HP Veer & HP Touchpad

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HP introduced their new smartphones after taking over Palm, the HP Pre 3 and the HP Veer. Not just the two, they also introduced their latest tablet, the HP Touchpad.

The HP Pre 3 holds more power than the previous Palm Pre and Pre 2. The sliding QWERTY smartphone has a 3.6" 800x480 display, 5MP camera with AF and LED flash, 720p HD recording, front-facing camera, mobile hotspot and webOS 2.2. Inside the gut of the Pre 3 are Qualcomm MSM 8x55 1.4 GHz CPU, 802.11a/b/g/n 5GHz, Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR, A-GPS, a 1230 mAh battery and 512MB of RAM. It will be available in the 8GB and 16GB version.

HP Veer in the other hand is the less powerful but still have the same form factor as the Pre 3. It comes equipped with Qualcomm Snapdragon 7230 800MHz CPU, 2.6-inch 320x400 display, 5MP EDoF camera, HSPA+ support, 8GB of storage, an accelerometer, proximity and light sensors.

Beside smartphones, HP also comes out with their latest internet tablet, the HP Touchpad. The best thing is that it looks very similiar like the iPad. It comes with webOS 3.0, true multitasking (take that iPad!), Touch-to-share, instant-on productivity, a 9.7-inch display of 1024x768, dual-core 1.2GHz Snapdragon CPU, built-in gyroscope, accelerometer, compass and 16GB or 32GB of internal memory. There's also a 1.3MP front-facing camera, 802.11b/g/n WiFi, Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR and A-GPS.

That was some awesome product made by HP and let's hope it's up to the par and able to beat the iPad head on. The specs of the phones and tablets are too good to be true but in this world of technology, things move so fast, until we can't cope with it.

That's all for now. Thanks for reading.

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LG Optimus Pad - G-Slate

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Tablets keep coming out non-stop until users can't decide which one is the best or among the best.

This time is the LG Optimus Pad or commonly known as G-Slate. The Slate is a 8.9" tablet running Android Honeycomb plus a 3D display of 1280x768. Powered by a dual-core Tegra 2 processor, the Slate will be equipped with front-facing camera, a pair of camera enable to capture 3D picture, 32GB internal memory and a 6400 mAh battery.

Lets hope for the best in the MWC 2011.

Thanks for reading.

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Funny Video about Blackberry & Apple

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I ran across this video a while ago and I thought that sharing about it might be significantly beneficial for all of my reader.

Blackberry: A mobile phone
Run out of juice: The battery is empty
Frozen: A state where a phone does nothing when you press any button
Orange: One of the network provider in the UK
Desktop: Computer
Mouse: One of computer's input
Windows: Computer's OS
Apple: Another mobile phone
Dongle: Device for bluetooth etc
Booting: Start a device
Crash: Same like frozen but it restart your device
Xbox 360: Gaming Console

Salam.

Samsung Gloria - Tablet with Keyboard?

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Samsung planning on the 10" tablet codename 'Gloria' with slide out QWERTY keyboard and it does give me the creeps. Not just that, they will make it run Windows 7 for more user-friendly experience.

Expect the official announcement in March or April next year. If it ever comes out, laptop and netbook will be the thing of the past.

Thanks for reading

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Acer 7" & 10.1" Tablet

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Now, everyone would like to have a taste of tablet wars after the iPad ignite the fire within the manufacturers. Latest news is that Acer is coming out with their own 7" & 10.1" Android tablet too.

The tablet will be equipped with dual-core 1GHz processor, 1080p HDMI output and 1280x800 screen. 5MP camera, HD front-facing camera for video call and multi-touch support is another great features. Its thickness will be around 13.3mm. With 10-point multi-touch and built-in gyroscope for gaming, guess this this is too good to be real.

The 7" version will come with dual-core 1.2GHz Qualcomm CPU and Adobe 10.1 support. Both the tablet will comes equipped with Wi-fi and 3G.

They will be out on April 2011 so be on the lookout for this iPad killer!

Thanks for reading.

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Rockmelt Browser- The Future of Facebook and Twitter

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While I was away from Plymouth, I got an email invitation to use Rockmelt. I was like WHOAAA!!! Seriously, I was waiting for this moment as Rockmelt is the most user-friendly browser for Facebook and Twitter.

After installling, it integrate my Facebook account into the browser and after that, my Twitter joins the club. The browser is superb with support of Adobe Flash. I really like the interface as it looks like Google Chrome but it doesn't crash as often as Google Chrome. In fact, it never crashes up until now. After installing Rockmelt, you get to invite 3 friends of yours to download and use it. Invite those who are always on Facebook and Twitter as it will be useful for them.

The integration of websites on the right-hand side is very useful as it provides updates on websites that I always visit. On the left-hand side is the Facebook Chat which enables you to pin your favourite friends there.

The only drawback for Rockmelt is that it doesn't integrate with Internet Download Manager like Mozilla Firefox does. However, I believe the team behind Rockmelt will do their best in applying this feature. Loading is fast compared to Mozilla Firefox and the search bar on the top-right corner allows you to choose which search engine's result you like.

Overall, this is a must-have browser for Facebook and Twitter users as it is very-VERY helpful, nice, fast and interesting to look at. I give Rockmelt the total score of 9.2 out of 10 for being the best browser in the world.

Thanks for reading. I hope Rockmelt can be a better browser in the future and people will be able to experience it to the fullest.

Salam.

MSI N480GTX Lightning - World Fastest GPU

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The best GPU in the world? Maybe. But with the specs enough to kill a normal computer, I guess its believable.

Introducing MSI N480GTX Lightning from MSI. And here are the features.

Key features
- 750 MHz Core and 1536MB GDDR5 4000MHz Memory
- High performance Power4 Architecture (16 Phase PWM on GTX 480, independant Memory Power, Copper MOS with 2x high current capacity, Proadlizer x4 to optimied power supply)
- Twin Frozr thermal solution, Twin Frozr III: Dual 9cm PWM Fans, SuperPipe Technology, Nickel-plated Copper bas, High-Density fins and Form-in-One Heatsinks
- Lightning Power Layer (LPL)
- Gold-plated Connectors

The price will be around $550 and expected to be in the Europe and Asia market later this year.

Imagine with two of this in your computer. Even one is more than enough. Two might make it out of control. But be careful, this thing also eats a lot of power. So make sure your Power Supply Unit (PSU) can fuel this thing.

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That's all for now. Thanks for reading.

Salam.