Critique
technology ‘The TouchPad shows real signs of potentially offering a real alternative [to the Apple iPad] in the future’
‘The dedicated camcorder is dead,’ insists Barry Sonnenfeld; Esquire writer, Emmy-winning television director and film director of Get Shorty and Men in Black. ‘Now that every smartphone and point-and-shoot camera can record video, often at high-def quality, the concept of dragging around a single-purpose camcorder, no matter how small it gets, doesn’t make sense.’ ‘Unless,’ he adds, ‘you buy one of the new 3D camcorders, which are great for certain applications.’ Those who want to take his advice can look to Sony’s recently released HDR-TD10 handheld camcorder which allows its user to shoot high-quality 3D movies at home. Up until now it was highly unlikely consumers would buy a James Cameron-style 3D movie camera rig, leaving no alternative but to employ the archaic method of shoot in 2D first and then convert in to 3D. Now, it seems, those days are well and truly over. Sony’s new piece of kit is a prime example: a 64-gig built-in hard drive and memory card gives up to five hours of high-definition 3D footage, plus it has a 10x zoom to record on and weighs just over a kilogram. ‘The TD10’s most amazing feature is its flipout viewfinder, which shows you what you’re shooting in 3-D – without glasses,’ comments Sonnenfeld. Each of the integrated dual lenses (a set-up that’s necessary for shooting in true 3D form) contains all the key components for successful operation: a Sony G lens, CMOS image sensor and image processor. ‘Naturally, you’ll still need a 3D TV to show off your custom content,’ explains Wired magazine’s Erik Malinowski. But, this hasn’t stopped Stuff magazine voting the HDR-TD10 the current king of consumer 3D camcorders; it swiped a dong in their Hot Stuff awards. Meanwhile HP has finally brought out their rival to
the iPad. The HP TouchPad Tablet is one of a string of technology companies including Acer, Motorola and Samsung to recently release their versions of the technology medium. ‘This is a tablet like no other,’ claims Matt Warman of The Telegraph, ‘but it doesn’t feel as fast or as slick as Apple’s excellent iPad or its closest rival, the Samsung Galaxy Tab. Nonetheless, Warman continues ‘the TouchPad shows real signs of potentially offering a real alternative in the future.’ Downfalls in the new HP TouchPad include having to register with HP when you turn your new toy on. This is frustrating, though Warman goes further to explain its more redeeming features: ‘press the home button and each ‘card’ is arrayed in a line. Swipe up to close or tap to select. If you’re writing an email message, the message gets a new ‘card’ so you can also refer back to your inbox. This is progress, compared to other tablets.’ On the flipside David Pogue, tech critic at the New York Times, is disgusted by the Touchpad: ‘HP has some nerve coming out with a tablet now – especially because the biggest distinguishing component is its operating system.’ An additional complaint from Pogue goes to its mere 300 apps and, from a hardware perspective, he remains unimpressed: ‘It’s the same size as the iPad, but it’s 40 per cent thicker and 20 per cent heavier — a bitter spec to swallow in a gadget you hold upright all day long. It has a front camera for video chatting but, unlike its rivals, no camera on the back. It has Wi-Fi, but can’t get online over the cellphone network. It can sometimes pinpoint its own location on Bing Maps…but it doesn’t have real GPS (what were they thinking?).’
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