Memory Stick for LapTop

SmartCar Memory Stick for LapTop Transfer Data
By Lance Winslow

With the new technology used to transfer information to from your digital camera to your laptop or PC using memory sticks which hold significant amounts of data it appears such technology will be perfect for net-centric cars. Where all the data is stored in a black box situation as many cars now have these features already. If you were in an accident your memory stick would be connected to a USB output. The officer could immediately put the memory stick into his computer and determine fault or in case of a speeding driver, could simply say driver's license and memory stick please, which would denote the data of all the previous 2 hours worth of driving. And there would be instant verification of the radar detector too.

This would also be great because it would have all the recorded data for your fuel consumption data, maintenance and pollution output. The automobile could be a self healing car with a sophisticated black box with all life times data. This would also be good for aircraft, ride on lawn mowers and would make it extremely valuable for hand held diagnostic devices. Wonderful for rent-a-cars, government vehicles on loan to employees to prevent tax payer abuses, teen drivers fro parental control to help reduce insurance costs. The military uses are also significant for deployment, routine maintenance and data could be uploaded via satellite during non-peak net-centric usage periods to the logistical base for notification of over run of maintenance period or extreme conditions such as heat, salt air near oceans or hard driving meaning addtional care during next check up, thus prolonging life and preventing future break downs of fundamental parts whcih could lead to loss of life, loss of mission or loss of physical asset.

Memory chips could be saved for maximum resale value, or used as part of ignition system or recharging

"Lance Winslow" - If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance; www.WorldThinkTank.net/wttbbs

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/

Mp3 Player Memory Stick

How to Buy the Right mp3 Player You Would Really Love
By Peter Lenkefi

Choosing to buy the right MP3 player isn't that difficult, but one player does not fit all. People will want different things from their players. MP3 CD players represent the best value: Most retail for less than $200, and additional blank discs are cheap.

* Think about how you'll use the player. Joggers will almost certainly want a lightweight, flash-memory-based device, since hard drives don't react well to the shock of bouncing around all the time; audio aficionados who want lots of music at their fingertips should keep their eyes on the highest-capacity hard-drive models.

* Try your favorite before taking it home. Make sure you can use the on-screen display to navigate to a specific song, and ask a clerk to show you how to transfer music to the device, if possible. Always bring your own set of headphones to listen to the sound quality of each unit you're interested in. If you plan to test CD-based MP3 players, bring your own disc. * Get the largest-capacity device you can afford. Whether you buy a flash- or hard-drive-based MP3 player, make sure to choose a model with the largest storage capacity possible. Even if you don't think you'll need it now, you will probably be happy to have it later.

* Pay close attention to the user interface. The simplest-to-use MP3 players use a Windows Explorer-like file and folder interface to organize music on the player. While some players require you to use their software to pick the play order before loading music files, other players let you rearrange the songs once the music is in the player.

* Mind your power options. While some portable players use replaceable alkaline batteries, many feature a built-in rechargeable battery that cannot be easily removed. While these devices can keep going for tens of hours, if you're not going to be somewhere near a power outlet or a computer with a USB port, you might find yourself out of juice with no way to charge the player.

* Check the prices for extra storage. If you're considering a player that uses one of the major memory card formats (Secure Digital, SmartMedia, MultiMediaCard, or Memory Stick) to store music files, factor the price for an extra or replacement memory card into the cost of the player.

* Look for wide file format support. While this isn't a necessity, players that support music files in the MP3, WMA (Windows Media Audio), and OGG formats give you more listening options than players that support just one or two of those formats.

* Consider a player with an FM tuner. This feature isn't essential, but it's a nice addition--especially if you grow tired of your own music.

* Do you need a carrying case? The more expensive and more fragile the player (hard-drive devices are the most delicate), the more likely you'll want a custom-fitted case to protect it. If you plan to carry your player with you wherever you go, consider investing in both a fitted cover and a rugged carrying case that can also hold headphones, a USB cable, and/or spare batteries.

* Shop around, online and offline. MP3 players are widely available in almost every consumer electronics outlet, and their prices fluctuate.

For more more information about mp3 players please visit http://www.buy-mp3-players.net

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/

Digital Camera Memory

Digital Camera Memory - An Introduction
by: Jakob Jelling

The digital camera is essentially a computer-based device, whose core is controlled by the computer. And as a result the photographs are stored in a location called memory. Now, this concept is or paramount importance in discussing digital camera. Strictly speaking, digital camera memory is where digital pictures are stored inside the camera. The digital camera memory is an essential and often a very neglected and overlooked section of equipments for digital photography and camera. There are many types of memory available for digital cameras, and it is a good practice to mull over what type of memory a camera uses before buying a digital camera. This discussing is aimed in revealing some of this relevant information!

Knowledge of the digital camera memory is very essential for using such a camera and capturing photographs. The most common form of such memory is a memory card. These are reusable, have a limited capacity and can always be installed when required in excess. A person needs to be well informed about enough memory available for taking photographs. And accordingly make arrangements. Generally, digital cameras come available with low capacity memory cards, and it is a wise purchase to acquire higher capacity memory cards in order to budget for an additional card for later use.

With the increment of a camera mega pixel counts, it becomes essential to use higher capacity memory cards. Some of the small sized cards are for example the 64 megabyte cards and larger ones are like 1-gigabyte cards or combinations of megabyte cards.

Digital camera memory is available in many shapes and facade depending on the type of digital camera that is being used and even and the number of pictures that are required to be stored in the digital camera memory. These different types of memory are solely dependant upon the requirements of the digital camera, like for example a camera using compact flash type 1, requires the use of compact flash type 1 digital camera memory. Other examples of types of digital camera memory are Compact Flash Digital Camera Memory. It is suitable for rugged and rough handling and is also resilient for incessant usage. This is also small in size to assist better handling and flexibility. What more, it is cheap and anyone can afford it!

Generally, the sizes of a digital camera memory are as follows, 64 MB, 128 MB, 256 MB, 512 MB, and 1 GIG. Again, the digital camera memory depends upon the file format used to store photographs upon and the compression used by the manufacturer when storing digital images into memory.

Coming to the concluding portion, it is recommended to get hold of one 256 megabyte or two 128 megabyte cards for a 3-5 mega pixel compact digital camera. For higher resolution photographs, 512 megabyte and 1 gigabyte cards are also available. These are some of the guidelines for revealing the true facts about the different digital camera memories and their secrets. Summing up in a few words, with such a powerful tool as the digital camera, a proper selection of memory can help a person achieve the glorious tasks of freezing a precious moment from life for eternity!

By Jakob Jelling
http://www.snapjunky.com

About The Author


Jakob Jelling is the founder of http://www.snapjunky.com .
Visit his digital camera guide and learn how to take better pictures with your digicam.

digital camera memory stick

Rio MP3 players were one of the first portables on the market
by Syd Johnson


Rio mp3 players were trendsetters long before anyone even know about iPods and 40Gig hard drives. Rio mp3 players are very small, about the size of a deck of cards, only prettier and much more valuable to any music lover. Basic models come with about 32MB of memory, so you will have more than enough space for your songs, but you can’t carry your entire music catalog with you.

On the newer models, you can get as much as 256MB of start up memory and then you can purchase additional memory sticks to increase your space to about 1 Gig.

The sport line of Rio MP3 players also includes things like digital timer, stop watch and easy menu controls. No one expects you to go through five layers of selections to start up your favorite track while running on your stairmaster. If you get sick of maybe listening to your own songs, some of the newer models also include an FM Tuner. Just click and pick up a few local radio stations.

It is important to note however that the size of the player was posing some problems when you people tried to pick up FM frequencies outside of the big cities and suburbs.

So, Rio went back to the board and did an upgrade on their system. Now, the tuner output is louder, clearer and significantly less scratchy.

Most of the Rio mp3 players are small enough to fit into your pockets, purse or a small compartment in your car. Each package comes with a set of basic accessories like headphones, batteries and of course the Rio operating software.

If you plan on using one of these players to store your mp3 files, focus on the higher end models. You will get a lot more storage space, better sound, better reception from the radio, and a more durable unit.



About the Author
This article may be freely distributed as long as there's an active link to
http://www.rapidlingo.com
Syd Johnson



Sony Cybershot DSC-W1 Digital Camera Review by Gary Hendricks


Are you looking for a good point-and-shoot digital camera? If you are, one camera to consider is the Sony Cybershot DSC-W1. This little compact camera is currently flying off the shelves. With good optics and a large 2.5 inch LCD screen, in addition to great looking pictures, the DSC-W1 is one of the more popular cameras around.

Design and Construction
The Sony Cybershot DSC-W1 is one stylish looking camera. A direct competitor to the Canon PowerShot S500, the DSC-W1 has been constructed to be a compact, travel ready camera that you can use to take quick snaps. Its dimensions are 3.5 inches by inches by 1.25 inches (weight-height-depth) and it weighs only 7.0 ounces.

One aspect of the camera I found especially impressive was the large 2.5 inch LCD screen. Most compact cameras have small LCDs so much so that you have to quick to look at the postage stamp sized images. Well, not in the Sony DSC-W1. The large screen makes it a joy to do on camera image editing or to show off your pictures to friends and family.

Optics and Resolution
The Sony Cybershot DSC-W1 comes with a 5.1 megapixel resolution, as well as 3x optical zoom and 2x digital zoom. There’s a built-in Carl Zeiss Vario-Tessar lens to allow quick focusing in a wide variety of photo environments.

The optics in this camera are also superb. There are comprehensive focusing options available if you’re more adventurous and want to play around with advanced manual camera options.

If you want to customize the camera to take photos at night, for example, you can change the shutter speed or play with the size of the aperture quite easily. If you need to take a quick shot in the middle of a vacation, you can switch back to auto focus and exposure so that the camera does everything for you. In short, the Sony DSC-W1 has features which give you extreme flexibility in taking photos.

User Controls
The user controls in the Sony Cybershot DSC-W1 are found next to the LCD and on a mode dial at the top surface of the camera. I found the controls easy to use. Whether you want to zoom in on an image, or change to a different scene mode or focus setting, the controls are always within easy reach.

Movie Mode
I also like the availability of a movie mode in the DSC-W1. You know, sometimes when you’re out in the park or on a vacation, you get those moments when you know a video will be more appropriate instead of a photo. That’s where the movie mode is useful. You can capture video at 30 frames per second (fps) at VGA size 640 x 480 – that roughly translates to 90 seconds of video on the included 32 MB memory card.

Direct Printing
As with many new digital cameras, the Sony DSC-W1 supports PictBridge direct printing. This is tremendously useful if you want to quickly print out photos without having to import them to a computer first. Of course, you will need a printer that is PictBridge compatible as well – the Canon Pixma iP4000 is my personal choice.

Storage and Transfer
The Sony Cybershot DSC-W1 comes with a 32MB Sony Memory Stick – which is hardly enough for serious photo taking, since each image is potentially 5MB in size. I’d recommend getting at least a 128MB Memory Stick to complement the camera. In terms of image transfer, the camera supports USB 2.0 ports. This means that you’ll experience lightning transfer of data between the camera and your computer.

Battery Life
One thing I love about the Sony Cybershot DSC-W1 is the battery system. The camera supports standard AA batteries like those from Energizer. This is pretty rare in digital cameras – most cameras need to use a proprietary battery. The ability to support AA batteries is great because you need not worry about the batteries running out – AA batteries are easily found in any convenience store.

Shortcomings
There are some quirks I noticed in the Sony DSC-W1. Though not serious problems, they did serve to mar my experience with this camera somewhat. What are these quirks? They include:

* Lack of a panorama-assist mode
* Lock of white-balance calibration options
* No way to adjust the camera's automatic power-down time.
* Lack of a good photo editor in the bundled software

Conclusion
I do hope this review of the Sony Cybershot DSC-W1 has been of help to you. If you’re looking for a good travel camera to take fun shots with, this Sony model is tough to beat. I personally own a Canon PowerShot S500, but I’d also recommend this Sony because many of my friends have been raving about it.



About the Author
Gary Hendricks runs a hobby site at www.basic-digital-photography.com. Read his tips on digital photography and learn to shoot better photos with your digicam.



Choosing The Right Digital Camera For You by Gordon Brenzil


Let's get something straight right out of the box. If you're looking to buy a new digital camera, you don't really have to be an expert in pixels and mega pixels and all that kind of stuff. If you expect to find that kind of deep technical discussion here, you're in the wrong place.

Actually, there's a whole lot of stuff you don't really need to know before tackling the daunting task of choosing the right digital camera for you.
First of all, forget all the high-tech jargon. It's mostly a lot of sales hype anyway. Choosing a good unit is pretty simple really...pretty much all you have to remember is that the higher the mega pixel rating on the front of the camera, the bigger picture you can make without it breaking up into little chunks (called pixels) and most likely the more cash it's likely going to pry out of your pocket. Each model has an array of techno-widgets that go by different names but they all have the same basic focus, to help you take a better picture.

I have a quick (and admittedly simplistic) overview of the pixel story. The shot on the left on my web page
http://www.great-nature-photography.com/digital-cameras.html
is one I took with a high pixel rating and the one on the right was with a much lower rating. They've been enlarged way beyond what you would normally do, but I do have a point to make here.

If you look carefully you can see there's a terrific difference in the way they look or, in the 'resolution'. The image on the right has already broken up into small pieces (pixels) (I hope) you can readily see. The picture on the left was magnified several times more than the one on the right which should give you an idea of how big you can enlarge it and still retain a fairly decent result. By the way, these shots are of a very, very small piece of a picture I took of snapdragons in our front yard.

A camera with a 5.0 mega pixel rating or higher can produce a decent 16X20 print but one with a 2.0 mega pixel rating or lower should be restricted to a maximum of 4X6 prints. For the most part, you won't be happy with pictures any larger than 4X6 from the lower rated camera.
Okay, Let's Pick A Camera...
Well, I have my favorites and my not-so favorites.

When I looked at all the digital cameras available, I was more than a little astounded at the vast selection of available equipment. It seems that every company that’s ever heard the word “computer” has jumped on the bandwagon. It seems they lay their hands on some lenses, wrap a computerized box around them, added a few techno-widgets and bingo, instant digital camera!

Where did I start? Well, I went back to my tried and true method of buying a film camera that I talk about later. It’s always worked for me and didn’t let me down this time either.
My personal digital camera finally wound up to be an Olympus C-5050. By the way, Olympus did not do themselves or their customers any favors in my opinion by dumping the f1.8 lens on the C-5060.

I chose this camera for the fast f1.8 lens and ease of use. I'm lazy at best and wanted a unit that's going to do most of the work for me while leaving me with the option of doing what I want to do when I want to do it.
This unit has all the automatic features I'll ever need but I also have the ability to set up the camera completely manually. I can still do minimum depth-of-field work among other things. I never want to completely lose control to a mindless computer although they do have their uses at times.
The first thing I did after I opened the box was print off the user manual - all 265 pages of it! I figured I had done my duty by it and promptly ignored it.

After very quickly killing my first two sets of “high-capacity” alkaline batteries, I sprung for a couple sets of Nickel-Metal Hydride (Ni-MH) rechargeables. Not only did they last longer but it was a heck of a lot cheaper than replacing the alkalines every darn time I picked up the camera.

It boils me to have to admit this but I actually had to go back to the user manual. I wasn't getting the results I wanted and there was also some 'stuff' on the camera I had no clue about using. The moral of this story is that you're gonna have to at least have a nodding acquaintance with your user manual. Sorry, but that's just the way it is.
Back to choosing a camera.

Throughout the years I've learned that if a camera 'fit' my hand it worked well for me. It may sound a little strange at first but just think about it. If you're handling something that feels awkward, your results are going to look like it. I had a Mamiya RB-67 for a lot of years. It was a big, ungainly unit but it was a good 'fit' for me and produced a great image. I also used a Hasselblad for quite a while but I much preferred the Mamiya and it gave me better results than the Hasselblad. (Don't tell Hasselblad lovers I said this, they'll kill me!)

So, rule of thumb...if it fits your hand nicely, if the main controls are handy to your fingers, if it has the mega pixel number you want and falls within your budget, you can be pretty confident this will do the job you want it to do. Oh yes, if it's a brand you've never heard of before, be very, very wary. It may work well and it may not. If it doesn't, there may not be any tech backup for you to be able to access.

The major camera companies spend lots of money developing new photo technologies. Although the latest techno-widgets go by different names, they all have the same goal, to make your pictures look as good as possible.
Pretty well every company in the world that has even come close to producing a good digital camera has gotten into the "SLR Wars".
Single lens reflex cameras dominated the photo market for years until digital technology hit the market. Because of design and price limitations, SLR technology has not been widely available in digital cameras until the last year or so.

The furious pace of technological developments has completely overtaken the market and even professional photographers are being boggled trying to keep up.
Remember the old Nikon F2? It was the major link in the Nikon chain of professional cameras for over 10 years! This was pretty much the norm until the computer hit the photographic industry big time.

Changes used to come slowly and deliberately and it wasn't hard to keep up with the latest and greatest when major new developments came along only two or three times in a decade.
The battle now is to produce digital cameras that operate faster, can be sold cheaper and will produce a better picture. Severe competition even exists within the same corporate structure where teams of developers do their utmost to 'outgun' other camera designers who work in the same building as they do.

Nikon has a distinct advantage over many of the other manufacturers in that owners of some of the older series of Nikon lenses can use them with the new digital bodies, a tremendous dollar saving to the photographer.
Most of this is aimed at the professional photographer. But, with technology changing as rapidly as it is, a camera technology that sells for several thousands of dollars today will undoubtedly become available to people like you and me in the next couple of years for a whole lot less money.

One of the hardest jobs a new camera buyer will have is determine which of the new techno-widgets does the best job and is the best value.
One thing to keep in mind about camera features…they all have the same job and that’s to help you take a better photo.
Picture this if you will. If you lined up 10 cameras from different manufacturers, each with similar basic features, took the same picture with each, I think even the camera manufacturers would have a tough time picking out which of the resulting photos came from their units.

Getting feedback from all kinds of users is one very excellent use of newsgroups. Serious photographers, amateur and professional both, love to talk about their latest 'toys'. This is a good way to spend time and a good place to ask questions and get (sometimes) intelligent answers.
Don't wait until you've made the investment to start doing your homework.
Another rule of thumb, if you're happy with a particular brand name already, my suggestion is to stick with it. You'll probably be more satisfied in the long run.
Now, having said all that, there are currently five search engine 'favorite' companies among the people looking for information on the Internet, Sony, Canon, Olympus, Kodak and Nikon in this order of popularity.
Understanding how to set your camera's resolution is absolutely vital. There's no shortcut and there's no way around it. This is the core of taking a good reproducible photograph. If, for instance, your camera is set for 240X360, you can forget making any kind of decent print above a 'thumbnail' size.

The low-end cameras are not a bargain if you're looking for good photo reproduction. Labs are constantly arguing with customers who submit low resolution digital images from a cheap camera for printing and then aren't happy with the results. They simply don't understand why their pictures are so lousy. Lenses and the type of digital image recording technology are also critical factors.

I won't get into the technical details of why but I will suggest you consider spending in the $250 to $400 range if you want something that will satisfy you.
Let’s spend a few minutes on lenses. Pretty well all of the digital cameras these days have a form of zoom lens. Most of the higher-end cameras have the capability for the user to add either an external telephoto or wide-angle lens. Depending on the type of photography you want to do will determine whether or not this is of value to you.
One thing to watch out for. The higher end cameras have very good glass lenses. It’s part of what you're paying for. The lower-end units have progressively less expensive lenses and consequently, a lower image definition.

There are both optical and digital zoom capabilities on digital cameras. The term "optical zoom" simply means you're using the glass lenses to do the magnification. "Digital zoom" on the other hand simply increases the size of the pixels to make the image larger. For reasons of image clarity, the optical zoom is a far better way to go.

One last note - if you run across the "best deal in town" on a very low-priced name brand camera, check to make sure it isn't badly out-dated. Buying well-priced clearance stock is okay if it isn't too old. In this computer age, pretty well anything over a year old is considered 'old technology'. As new technologies are developed the price keeps going down so you could actually be money ahead by investing in the 'latest and greatest'.

Always keep in mind the old adage that 'you usually get what you pay for.
If you go to a 'box' store looking for the best price, don't expect service. The folks there simply don't know what they're selling. Their job is to move as much merchandise as they can as quickly as possible. It's not to give you advice.
Go to the Internet to get the latest data directly from the manufacturers. It changes very, very quickly. When you do this, try to climb through all the sales hype to get to the 'meat' of what the cameras are all about. Newsgroups can also a very excellent source of advice for 'newbies'.
Most people will be very happy to give you their personal opinion of what you should buy. Just remember, they won't usually tell you what the downside to their purchase is. They don't want to look less than 'expert' in your eyes. Do your own homework. This is an investment you probably won't repeat for several years.

A specialty camera store on the other hand gives the buyer both service and product and usually very well. Keep in mind that the specialty store personnel are quite often very highly trained and will probably be well prepared to help you find the best equipment for you and will also give you a 'leg-up' in getting started using it.

We need to spend a couple of moments on storage media. Whatever size media card you stick in your camera will determine the number of pictures you can take and store. It's like a roll of film, the bigger the roll the more pictures you can take.
Digital images are no different. The greater the number of available megabytes (Mb), the higher the number of pictures you can take.
A word of caution - never, never, never leave your media card in a photo lab. The incidence of loss is high and most labs won't replace lost cards. Quite frankly, I don't blame them. Far, far too many false claims have been made and labs now refuse to take any responsibility for your memory cards.

That’s it for this one.
Keep your film dry your lenses clean!

You can see more at:
http://www.great-nature-photography.com


About the Author
Gordon has spent well over 30 years in the photo industry. In addition to ownng his own photo lab and professional studio for many years, he has also taught.


Photography - Things to Consider Before Buying a Camera
by Richard Schneider


Before you are able to take the kind of photos you want to take, it is important to think about the equipment you would like to start out with. Probably the most important decision you will have to make is what kind of camera to buy. There are so many options and brands now that the whole process can seem quite overwhelming.

Shopping for Cameras:

If you are planning to become a serious photographer you should probably buy an SLR (Single Lens Reflex) camera. The term single lens reflex comes from the fact that the camera has a view of the subject through a single lens and that view is reflected to the viewfinder so the photographer can see exactly what is going to be in the picture. The Digital SLR's are getting so advanced that it's very hard to choose a film camera over a digital. The main advantage of an SLR camera over a point-and-shoot digital camera is the fact that you can change lenses and filters whenever you want to, although new point-and-shoot cameras have increasing optical zoom and similar capabilities. Point-and-shoot cameras are also a great idea if you just want something simple and small that is convenient to carry wherever you go.

What to Look for in Lenses:

Lenses are what your camera uses to focus on the world. All lenses are defined by their focal length and aperture. The focal length tells you what the angle of view is and how far it magnifies. The aperture is the amount of light that the camera is letting into the sensor. Any lens lower than 50 mm focal length is considered wide-angle. Any at 50 mm is considered normal. And any lens above 50 mm is considered a telephoto. But there are also zoom lenses that have a variable focal length. With a zoom lens you can cover a wide range such as 28 mm to 105 mm or 80 mm to 210 mm.

Lenses can be very expensive and very cheap and it is usually the faster lenses or the ones with the wider apertures that are the highest priced. The faster lenses are more appealing primarily because they can produce better pictures in dim light without a tripod. But it is quite possible to find great lenses at low prices. Probably the first lens you buy should be broad range zoom lens such as a 28 mm to 105 mm. The slight drawback of zoom lenses is that they are slower and they don't quite match the sharpness and contrast of a fixed focal length lens.

Do You Need any Filters?

Another very important item that you should definitely acquire is an ultra-violet filter (UV filter). It is a simple piece of glass that screws on to the end of your lens and protects it from scratches, dust, dirt, moisture and fingerprints while reducing unwanted ultra-violet light.

But when you buy a UV filter you might as well get a polarizer filter as well. A polarizer filter is most commonly used for darkening the sky by cutting through atmospheric haze. This affect can also dramatically improve the results of black and white photography. Polarizer filters are also good for removing reflections from glass or water.

Get a Tripod:

We would also strongly recommend that you buy a tripod of some kind which is vital when there is not enough light to handhold a picture. Some of the best pictures you've seen at dusk, night, or just when it’s cloudy have almost certainly been taken using a tripod. Tripods allow you to use your camera's full range of shutter speed and aperture combinations which can sometimes creating amazing unexpected results.

You should pick a tripod that is plenty sturdy but also convenient enough to carry wherever you might want it. You also might want it tall enough so you can look through your camera at eye level.

Some Memory Card Details:

Memory cards are extremely convenient with digital cameras but you need to make sure you have all the space on them that you want. It is always a good feeling to know that you can take all the pictures that you want when you think you have a good opportunity. Most SLR's take Compact Flash memory cards, smaller cameras usually either take Secure Digital memory cards or Sony memory sticks.

It is convenient to have only one format of memory card if you have multiple cameras because then you can interchange them even between a big SLR and a small point and shoot camera. The smaller cameras usually use secure digital cards and Sony memory sticks but some very nice ones use compact flash cards. One thing you must always do is remember to format the card after you unload pictures and put it back into the camera or else you won't have the full capacity of the card.

If you are looking to buy a new digital camera you should consider these things or you might have regrets later.

About the Author
Richard Schneider is a digital photography enthusiast and founder of http://www.picturecorrect.com / which offers tips and news about digital photography, digital camera reviews, photoshop tutorials and computer wallpaper.

Memory Stick

Getting the Most From Your Digital Camera Memory Card by Kevin Rockwell


Imagine taking your new digital camera on a vacation and then realizing that you can barely click 20-30 images at a go. So, what do you do to avoid such a situation? The answer to this question lies in the purchase of an extra memory card or two.

One of the important components of a digital camera is the memory card. Most digital cameras come with quite a low amount of memory and it is always better to include the cost of a memory card while purchasing a camera. There are several types of memory cards so you must check out the memory options available in the camera that you are planning to buy.

Also, remember that if the resolution of your camera is high, then you will also need a high capacity memory card. There is no predetermined number of images that you can store on a particular memory card. It depends on the kind of images, the file type of the images and the compression rate per photograph. Normally, a 128 or 256 megabyte card is adequate for the average photographer using a 3-5 mega pixel camera.

There are several types of memory cards available. Here is a list of the kinds of memory cards available in the market today:

·Compact Flash Memory Card: Compact Flash is a relatively cheap memory card. It is available in most shops and is compatible with a large number of digital cameras. It is very popular and is commonly used by camera lovers. These cards come with an in-built controller which results in high transfer speeds. However, in order to use this facility, you normally need to be using a digital SLR.

·Secure Digital & Multimedia Cards: Commonly known as the SD card, these cards are one of the smallest memory cards which are available today. These cards can be used in different types of equipment, i.e. digital cameras, phones, MP3 players and video cameras as well. However, the maximum memory capacity is only 512 MB. The difference between the SD card and the multimedia card is that, as the name suggests, the SD card comes with an additional write-protect switch for data security.

·Memory Stick: The memory stick is an invention by Sony. As a result, these cards can mostly be used only on Sony devices. Hence, if you have a Sony digital camera, a Toshiba laptop; then it is most likely that you will not be able to use your memory stick on both equipments. It is a very durable and rugged memory option. So, unless and until you are a Sony fan, the memory stick has limited use for you.

·Card Reader: Once you have purchased a memory card for yourself, you will also need a card reader in order to transfer your pictures onto your laptop or PC. The advantage of a card reader is that it can be directly attached to your computer through the USB port. Then you simply need to slot in the memory card into the reader, and you can transfer files easily. The card reader does not require any additional cables and neither does it use up the battery of your digital camera.

The bottom line with digital camera memory cards is that you need to always have more on hand than you need, prices are often very affordable, and you should choose your camera based on the version of memory card that it takes. Don’t buy into a camera system if you feel the memory card will not accommodate your photo taking needs.





About the Author
Kevin Rockwell worked as a network TV cameraman for 20 years shooting news and sports. Now a devoted fan of digital photography and video he works to gather information, tips and news for digital camera users. Oh and he loves to shoot pictures of his kids playing sports.
http://www.great-digital-cameras.com/gdcj.html



Why Tape Backups Are Obsolete in Today's Schools
by Chris Schutte


Most schools use tape to backup their important data. Tape is a form of magnetic media in a linear form, similar to VHS tape. It is not very quick or inexpensive, and is not extremely reliable. In the past though, it was just about the only form of removable media that had the capacity to hold an entire network's data.

To keep things reliable tapes need to be alternated in a rotation and then replaced about once per year. This costs quite a bit of money just for the media, not to mention the extreme prices for the drives themselves.

Tape drives are also very slow, and constantly need to be tested and monitored to make sure that they are really backing up and that the backups actually work. I have seen many cases with servers going down and the tapes being corrupt.

Today, there are many different forms of removable media. If you have purchased a hard drive or a flash memory stick in the last few months you have probably noticed that the cost of these devices has dropped significantly.

I recommend using external hard drives for backup. A 200GB drive can be purchased for about $200.00. This is by far cheaper than tape. By using a rotation of multiple external hard drives you get a form of backup that is much faster than tape and can be taken off-site. The backups can be checked by just browsing the drive, similar to browsing your C: drive.

External hard drives work with most backup software, and some drives even come with their own. Switching from a tape based system to a drive based system normally requires very little modification to your current system.

In summary, external drives are faster, easier to verify, and much cheaper than tape. When it comes time to upgrade your schools data backup system do a comparison between tape and external hard drives. I think you will see that unless tape drive manufacturers makes some big changes they are quickly on their way to becoming obsolete in the school market.



About the Author
Chris Schutte is the author of "The Technology Director", a weekly newsletter that focuses on technology in K-12 schools. He is also the President and Founder of Premier Technology LLC, a technology consulting and integration firm. To sign up for his FREE newsletter go to http://www.premiertechnology.net.



How to buy Flash Memory as Gift
by Wayne Liu


No matter who you give gift is a man or a woman, a girl or a boy, a teen or an adult, as long as they have either computer or digital camera; they all need flash memory cards. Therefore, give a flash memory as gift can never go wrong.

There are different types of flash memory cards. What kind of flash memory card you buy depends on what type of digital camera that your friend has. There are five types of flash memory cards in the market. They are Compact Flash, Smart Media, Memory Stick (or Memory Stick Pro), Secure Digital Cards, and Multimedia Cards.

Memory Stick flash memory is mostly used in Sony Digital devices. Recently, they make a bigger capacity memory card, called Memory Stick Pro. This new high capacity cards can hold 1GB to 2GB of storage.

No matter what, the bottom line is to find out what is the brand of your friend’s digital camera before buying flash memory card as gift. Regarding the size, always follow your budget. For storage device, it is always bigger, the better. Therefore, set your budget and find the memory card within your budget.

Another form of flash memory is memory drive. You may have learned something like flash drive, jump drive, USB drive, etc. Basically, this so called drive is actually not a disk drive, it is the similar to the memory drive, and is made by flash memory. The basic usage of these flash memory drives is to replace the floppy disk in computer. A typical floppy disk is 1.44MB. The flash memory drive can be up to 2GB storage. This huge storage can store documents, pictures and even programs. It is convenient and economical to share large volume of data.

Use these flash memory drive is easy. Most new computers are having USB port. Simply plug the flash memory drive in the USB drive and computer will recognize it as another disk drive.

Again, the more storage the drive has, the better. Therefore, always go with your budget when you buy flash memory drive as gift.




About the Author
Wayne Liu is the founder of www.StyleAndMatch.com, a Gift Giving ideas site that provides thousands of gift ideas and information for different kinds of events and different kinds of people. He can be reached at wayneliu@styleandmatch.com .