new camera battery

Verizon Wireless is expected to offer a netbook tied to a multi-year contract for its wireless data service. It will be the latest offering where an inexpensive netbook is tied to an expensive wireless contract. On May 17 Verizon Wireless is expected to offer the netbook HP Mini 1151NR for $200 (after rebate) that will cost you an additional $1000 in data access fees due to the mandatory two-year contract with Verizon Wireless. Interested?

Verizon is also saving the May 17 date to rollout a new portable hot spot called the MiFi. This $99 (after $50 rebate) devices is made by Novatel, and is designed to allow you to create a Wi-Fi hotspot for up to five devices — be it a notebook, camera, or gaming device.

The HP Mini 1151NR’s specs are not yet available, but the netbook is part of HP’s Mini 1000 family and some guesstimation (based on the Mini 1000’s specs) would give it an 8.9-inch screen, a 1.6GHz Intel Atom processor, and 1GB of RAM. It would come with either Windows XP Home (SP3) or Ubuntu Linux and 16/32GB solid state or 80GB hard-drive options.

The usual retail price of a HP Mini 1000 starts at $299 so it makes sense for Verizon to subsidize $100 out of the original price — money which you will pay back tenfold in data access charges over the two years of the contract.

The advantage of a mobile Internet powered netbook is quite obvious but a few practical issues can surface. The Internet connection wouldn’t be transferable to other devices; plus, if you already have an Internet-enabled smartphone (like a BlackBerry) you would end paying for two data access contracts.

Verizon Wireless’ MiFi device and service gives you a second option. This small 3.5-by-2.3-by-0.4-inch device has integrated CDMA (EV-DO Rev. A) and Wi-Fi (802.11b/g) radios that allow you to share your Verizon Wireless 3G connection with up to four devices via a Wi-Fi connection. The MiFi comes with a $40 monthly cost that allows for 250MB of data downloads. If you exceed the limit, plan on paying a 10 cent-per-megabyte surcharge. Pay more and get more: for $60 you can use 5GB (5-cents-per-megabyte overage charge) A 24-hour day pass can be purchased from Verizon for for $15.

If you’re looking for an HD camcorder for capturing those precious moments, your budget will certainly play a large part in the camcorder you choose. But here are the features to look for when you’re ready to make a purchase (see our HD camcorder guide for more information).

1,080 progressive video You’ll get cleaner video out of the camcorder if it captures 1,080p video (rather than interlaced 1080i video, which produces smoother but more-jagged images).

The right format for your situation Do you have an older Intel Mac or a PowerPC Mac? If you purchase an AVCHD camcorder, you’re going to have to jump through the extra hoops of converting your video so you can edit it on your older Mac. Nearly obsolete though tape may be, HDV camcorders will be a friendlier fit with your Mac. Plus, the video these cameras produce can be spectacular.

Strong optical zoom All full-size camcorders have optical zoom. If you sometimes shoot your kid’s soccer games from the last row of the bleachers, look for a camcorder with a long reach–12x optical zoom or better.

Large sensor The larger the sensor is, the better the detail and the low-light performance generally are. If you’ll regularly shoot in low light, seek a camcorder with a sensor 1/3-inch.

Media options If you need to shoot nonstop for long periods, get a camcorder with a hard drive. If you can deal with shorter shooting times but want to quickly move media without also moving your camcorder, find a camcorder that records to removable media. Tape, for example, limits you to one hour of shooting but is easily swapped.

Ample ports and functional design Ports are important, particularly if one vital to your work or pleasure is missing. Videocasters and filmmakers doing professional work will absolutely need a camcorder with a microphone port. Desire a light for your camera? Check for a hot-shoe for attaching such a light. Also check the position of the ports. If they’re hidden under a battery (as they are on some Panasonic camcorders) or tied to a base (Sony does this with some cameras), you may be denied access to those ports when you need them.

Manual controls The point-and-shoot convenience of today’s HD camcorders is great, but if you need to work outside the box, look for greater manual control of the camera’s functions. At the very least, you should be able to manually adjust a camcorder’s exposure and white balance. And, ideally, you won’t have to wrestle with a camcorder to focus it manually.

Portability Small as full-size camcorders are, they’re not small enough to put in your pocket. If you often wish you had a camcorder with you to capture your life’s journey, consider getting a pocket camcorder. The video you get from it won’t be equal to what you capture with a full-size camcorder, but you’ll at least capture something

There goes Apple, trash-talking netbooks again. Tim Cook, the company’s chief operating officer, had harsh words yesterday for the current crop of inexpensive mini-notebooks, calling them “junky” with cramped keyboards and bad software. “It’s a stretch to call them a personal computer,” he said.

Ouch.

While I wouldn’t call all netbooks junk, Cook’s criticisms are valid. My biggest gripe with every mini-note I’ve tried is the tiny keyboard. It’s an ergonomic disaster. My hands aren’t huge, but I can’t type on these things for longer than an hour. So if Apple does enter the netbook category — and I believe it will, sooner rather than later — it should address the keyboard issue first.

Here’s my suggestion: Apple should bring back the “butterfly keyboard” — or a variation of it — used by IBM for a brief period back in the 1990s. For those of you too young to remember, or those who were distracted by watching their stock portfolios rise and fall back then, the butterfly device was a fold-out keyboard featured on the IBM ThinkPad 701 series. It consisted of two halves; when opened it extended over the sides of the laptop, thereby creating a more spacious keyboard than those found in competing notebooks at the time.

Called TrackWrite, the clever design generated a lot of media buzz when it first appeared in 1995. The fold-out keyboard didn’t last long, however, in part because the move toward larger displays made it irrelevant. (The ThinkPad 701 had a 10.4-inch display, similar to today’s netbooks.) I always liked the concept, though, and had hoped that IBM or another vendor would bring it back someday.

Now the time has come. The emergence of the netbook has brought back many of the ergonomic woes of early portables, including cramped keyboards and small screens. Would Apple ever license TrackWrite from IBM? I doubt it. The company’s pride and not-invented-here attitude would never let that happen. But you never know.

Some users may see the touch screen as a better alternative to a fold-out keyboard. I don’t think so. A touch screen is nice for some things, and it’s a good fit with handheld gadgets like the iPhone. But for touch typists who write long documents for extended periods of time, a touch screen could never replace the keyboard. It’s too slow and clunky.

If you don’t want you child messing around with your precious new computer, then you might want to look into this: PeeWee PC introduced a splash-resistant tablet PC that comes with all the adequate perks to keep your kid entertained and browse the Internet safely.

Coming in at $600, the PeeWee Pivot Tablet Laptop features a 10-inch touch screen and is powered by a 1.6-GHz Atom processor and 1GB of RAM memory, which can be upgraded to 2GB. With a 60GB hard drive, the PeeWee PC runs Windows XP, which might leave your child in a tantrum if they get stuck with some ‘blue screens of death’.

The PeeWee PC is not light on additional specs either. The convertible tablet laptop has two USB 2.0 ports, a VGA port, an SD/MMC media card reader, Wi-Fi (802.11b/g) and a 1.3-megapixel webcam to fulfill you child’s needs of doing anything more than drawing on a very expensive version of their paper notebook.

On the software side, PeeWee PC ships with games designed for kids ranging from pre-K to upper elementary students and a Walt Disney theme for Windows XP. In addition, it includes a specially designed security suite that allows parents to control when and how kids use the PeeWee PC. Additionally, this proprietary suite can let parents block certain Web sites, view browsing histories, and remotely control the system.

In terms of design, the PeeWee PC is quite versatile, as it can take the shape of a regular laptop or it can convert to a tablet (takes longer for your kid to get bored with it). To handle any strain or spillage, the laptop is ruggedized and the keyboard is water-resistant. PeeWee PC also has a handle at the top for easier carrying and holding and comes with a 6-cell battery pack.

PeeWee PC is available only from the manufacturer’s Web site at the moment, but as an extra perk, when you spill $600 for it, your kid gets his age, name and interest custom built laptop (via the software on board).

Is it worth it? You can get a similar specifications laptop on the market right now even cheaper that PeeWee PC’s retail price, but the additional cost could be covered by the ten age-targeted software titles that come with it and the durability this laptop was built in mind with (due to children’s usage). I just wish I had one of these when I was a child.