Canon Announces EOS 1D Mark IV!

LAKE SUCCESS, N.Y. - Canon USA announced, today, that the new Canon EOS-1D Mark IV Digital SLR camera will be arriving at authorized dealers in late December of 2009. In a press release, Canon said, "The EOS-1D Mark IV is a high-speed multimedia performance monster with a 16-megapixel Canon CMOS sensor, Dual DIGIC 4 Imaging Processors, and 14-bit A/D data conversion, all at 10 frames-per-second (fps), with the widest ISO range Canon has produced to date. This new camera also features 1080p Full High-Definition video capture at selectable frame rates packaged in Canon's most rugged and durable professional camera body."

Above and beyond SLRs of the past, Canon says this is one of the most rugged and durable body designs it has ever manufactured. Completely weather-resistant, the EOS 1d Mark IV features 76 gaskets and seals protecting all buttons and seams on the body, which surrounds a rigid magnesium-alloy chassis.

Even with all that, Canon says the crowning achievement of the 1D Mark IV Digital SLR is its new autofocus system that starts with 45 AF points including 39 high-precision cross-type focusing points capable of tracking fast moving athletes or wildlife accurately at speeds up to 10 frames per second. With greater subject detection capability than ever before plus a newly redesigned AI Servo II AF predictive focusing algorithm, the Canon EOS-1D Mark IV camera sets new standards for autofocus performance among professional digital SLRs.

The EOS 1D Mark IV looks to be another strong step forward in the evolution of the professional EOS lineup. At a $4,999 estimated street retail price, Canon will be asking you to open your wallets to obtain one, however. Also, with inventory being at all-time lows, one should not expect to call up your favorite online shop or walk into your local store and find a dozen sitting on the shelf. This one could be hard to find until well into 2010, but I know guys like Best Price Audio Video will be offering a pre-order option as soon as they know more specifics about price and availability.

New 2nd Gen 8GB Flip Video MinoHD - Twice The Capacity, Still Just As Much Fun

Now you can record 120 minutes of 720p HD video on a Flip MinoHD - Just be sure to purchase the 2nd Gen, 8GB model and not the original 4GB one.

Flip Video, by Pure Digital (A Cisco-owned company), has really had a hit on its hands since introducing the Flip Mino and Ultra pocket sized digital camcorders. The compact recorders made their mark by being very portable and being very easy to use for both recording and sharing recorded media, and the new 2nd Gen MinoHD should only add to the value of the lineup.

The new Flip MinoHD features 8GB of embedded memory, two hours of 720p recording time, 2-inch transflective screen to eliminate glare in direct sunlight, and HDMI output for direct digital connection to an HDTV. It joins the original Flip MinoHD, at $199 with one-hour recording time, and the non-HD Flip Mino, at $149.

The new MinoHD also adds brushed-metal finish, slightly rounder design and touch-sensitive buttons. Other features include 960 by 240-pixel display resolution, built-in omni-directional microphone, speaker with software volume control, rechargeable two-hour lithium-ion battery, widescreen TV output and 2x digital zoom.

Check out the new MinoHD, here: http://store.theflip.com/MinoHD120.aspx . It should also be avilable in retail stores soon and at places like Best Price Audio Video and NewEgg.

Apple Mighty Mouse To Be Made Mightier

The Apple Mighty Mouse has been a great mouse, in my opinion. However, it's difficult to understand why a company would do away with one problematic track ball and simply add another somewhere else. Anyone who has used a Mighty Mouse knows that the scroll ball on the top of the mouse is just as annoying as the track balls were in the mice of years ago. They are constantly getting mucked up and require regular cleanings or at least regular work to regain responsiveness or even any ability to scroll up and down on the screen. It's just bizarre that a company supposedly as savvy as Apple would make the effort to make the mouse a laser device in order to alleviate the problem on one hand, and then add the problem back into the equation with the next action.

Well Apple has undoubtedly noticed this as well, and now appears ready to take action on improving the situation by neutering the Mighty Mouse and going only with multi-touch technology and expanding on the touch-sensitive chassis - no more balls. (come on, it's too easy). Though I'll be excited to see this "advancement" you can't help but wonder, "what were they thinking?", by including the mechanical ball on the mouse in the first place. Remember, this was added to the mouse as an evolution of the pro mouse to make it better.

Anyway, it sounds like this could happen sooner, rather than later. Hard to tell if this will be avilable for the holidays or if we'll have to wait until next year to see the evolution of the Mighty Mouse, but things definitely seem under way, here. One thing's for sure, there sure to be a lot of people interested in neutering their Mighty Mice. Okay... I'll stop on that one.

Yamaha Expands iPod Speaker Lineup

Yamaha has announced new iPod compatible desktop audio products to further bolster their lineup in the segment. Recently, Yamaha had released the TSX-120 and the TSX-130 audio systems which seem to have been received warmly by the crowd looking for higher-end audio accessories for their iPods. Now, Yamaha is announcing products like the PDX-130 Player/Dock and even going so far as to make items available in multiple color options to suit those who need a little extra spice on their table-tops. More models are to become available in October and right before the holidays, as well.

Best Price Audio Video has a great selection of Yamaha products and you can check out all of the currently available Yamaha iPod speaker systems and docks, here.

Navigon iPhone GPS App - Wow, Where'd THIS come from?

So Navigon - yes, the same brand easily called Navi-GONE after they completely failed to make an impact on the US market with their oversized, super-slow GPS handheld units that their reps told dealers would "out sell Garmin 2 - 1" (Riiiiight) - resurfaces over here with an iPhone app, called MobileNavigator. It was available starting in late July and has earned a fair reputation out there even though most of the discussion has been about the TomTom iPhone GPS app. Now, Navigon has updated their app with some nice features; namely text-to-speech, iPod control and location sharing. This is a surprising revival of a brand I admittedly thought was long gone.

With the car kit already out, a decent interface, nice app response time thanks to the app being mostly stored right on the iPhone's internal storage and some enhanced navigational views this is a very strong app and one that TomTom surely has taken note of. TomTom is familiar with Navigon as both companies really grew up and honed their brands in Europe first, but now competition for the millions of iPhone users around the world is sure to heat up the competition between the two, once again.

HotHardware has a nice write-up on the new Navigon MobileNavigator updates.

New iPod Nano Hans On (Gizmodo)

Solid review and some pics of the new iPod Nano from Gizmodo, here. Also, check out the comments below - hillarious how bent out of shape people can get while reviewing life-critical products such as one's iPod. I especially love the one from zfleeman - "Apple took a big dump on my face by not putting a camera in the iPod touch". Come on... really? Really? Wipe your face off zfleeman, I'm betting you'll live - or you'll just have to do with the cell phone camera or pocket sized powershot or coolpix you're probably packing already.

And yes, to confirm, there is no still photo capability in the new iPod touch - as of today anyway.

iPhone MMS Arrives September 25th, But AT&T Network Concerns Loom

From Consumer Reports Blog:

Finally, AT&T, the exclusive carrier for iPhone, this week announced that that it would make good on its promise to offer MMS. It will be available by September 25 to owners of the iPhone 3G and 3G S.

Despite the promise, there are growing signs that the carrier’s data network may already be overstretched, suffering more than the usual network congestion. As the New York Times noted this week, AT&T is facing increasing ire from iPhone users, especially in certain cities, as networks slow as iPhone owners swell in numbers and employ a growing range of apps and functions.

Things are so tight that back in July, AT&T 3G data service went offline, leaving iPhone users stranded on the much slower 2G network. Apparently, the New York Times reports, the network slowdowns primarily affect users in large cities, where there is a higher concentration of iPhone users vying for the same resources.

There are rumors that iPhone may be coming to Verizon, a top-rated carrier that has a very strong and fast 3G network. But Verizon, too, may find iPhone too much of a data guzzler for its renowned 3G network. And it won’t be just iPhone. Other cell users have fallen hard for social networking apps like Facebook and Twitter, as well as other apps that reports stocks, weather, sports scores—which continuously draw on carrier data networks—can easily bring any carrier to its knees.

One ray of hope is the next-generation cell network called 4G, which provides a much fatter pipe for handling data, plus it’s many times faster to accommodate high-definition video streams, movie downloads, and other forms of network-choking entertainment. In theory, at least, it’s even fatter and faster than the broadband connections people have at home. But best estimates for practical 4G deployment is at least several years away.

—Mike Gikas, Consumer Reports