Patrick's Bites: Gadget

Leica going digital at last

Sat, 16 Sep 2006 16:19:41 GMT

After years of partnering with Japanese camera makers such as Fuji and Panasonic, Leica is coming out with its own designed and made in Germany Digital Camera in the form of its famous range finder M series. Yup, M8 will be the first fully digital lense interchangable range finder camera in the world. Contax would have be the first digital range finder camera from its G series if Kyoecera didn't decide to cease operations; but that is another story.

Launched in the recent Photokina, which is the Comdex to a shutterbug, M8 will join a host of digital cameras Leica had co-developed with Panasonic. Digilux 3 (which is really a Panasonic DMC L-1 with the leica touch and software enhancements) is also Leica's first digital SLR based on Olympus 4/3 viewfinder/ lense mount format.

With a previous money losing years I hope Leica will bounces back to black with strategic partnership from Panasonic and Kodak. It is a smart move consider that Leica doesn't have the experience in designing cuting edge digital cameras but they have the best workmanship and lense design around.

Below is the list of M8's preview reports

http://www.leica-camera.us/photography/m_system/m8/

Leica M8, Exclusive Preview

Leica DIGILUX 3

At last Sony network walkman supports WMA!!!

Fri, 27 May 2005 13:19:36 GMT

Been waiting for a long time for Sony to support Microsoft's WMA format. This leaves iPod among the last MP player in the market not to support WMA.

This is a significant move by Sony because WMA is one of the prominent music format on market. This is what happen when Microsoft bundles Media Player with every copy of Windows. Furthermore because the ease of use of Media Player, users use Media Player to rip music files from their CDs.

Sony's support for MP3 and ATRAC3all the while has been a turn off for some user because to gain the ability to rip ATRAC3 files, one needs Sony proprietary Sonic Stage software.

Maybe this is because the coming of Sony new CEO, Howard Stinger which they take a new approach towards supporting of open (or the popular WMA) standards.

So much talking, forgot the mentioned the new models are NW-E103, NW-E400 and NW-E500. NW-E103 can be found on Sony Malaysia's website but not NW-E400 and NW-E500. Still you can check them out in Sony China website. Hah!!! I am quite supprise as well, how come China will comes first on product launching.

http://www.sonystyle.com.cn/promotions/springwalkman/

http://www.sony.com.my/sonystyle/product/productinfo_peraudio.asp?Subcategoryid=40