Crave

Apple may have just priced itself into a corner.

At least week's product launch event, the company unveiled a new, fifth-generation iPod Touch with a slightly larger screen, better camera, faster processor, and so on. Starting price: $299.

Meanwhile, the rumor mill continues to churn about an iPad Mini that could appear as early as next month, potentially obliterating Amazon's Kindle Fire and other competitors in the 7-inch tablet market (much as the current iPad has dominated the 10-inch market).

Indeed, many have speculated that a $249 iPad would spell doom for the Kindle Fires and Nooks of … Read more

Sigma announced some new lenses at Photokina -- updates to its 120-300mm f2.8 DG OS HSM ("redesigned mechanics and performance") and 17-70mm f2.8 DC OS macro ("new design and more compact build") and unveiled a 35mm f1.4 DG HSM -- along with a clever USB dock to use for firmware upgrades. But what's really interesting is the new organization of its lens marketing. And when I say "interesting" I mean "what were they smoking?"

I guess focal lengths, apertures, mounts, and prices just don't convey enough exciting … Read more

When I'm in a theater in the midst of a gripping, dramatic film and I see the telltale glow of someone's cell phone, I feel like rising up out of my seat, tiptoeing silently through the aisles, and using my mad ninja skills to silence the offender.

The Prince Charles Cinema in London is way ahead of me. Movie patrons who can't shut up or can't resist the temptation of a text message will get a visit from a black body suit-wearing volunteer ninja.

There are no nunchucks or ninja stars, but the face-hiding suits should strike enough terror in the violators' hearts to get them back in line. … Read more

One of the things I take for granted as a TV reviewer is the translation from model number to things like screen size, model line, display type, and so on.

I've gotten a few e-mails lately from people looking for help trying to decide between similarly priced models, with radically different model numbers. Are they similar? What does the alphanumerical soup mean?

While model numbers change yearly (or sometimes even more often), there are a few guidelines you can use to help you sort out the what from the what.… Read more

Third-party versions of the new Lightning-to-30-pin adapter cooked up by Apple are now selling via Amazon and eBay.

Amazon shows generic versions being sold through two companies -- Nanotch and iTronz. Nanotch is offering the 7-inch cable adapter for $17.95, a part that Apple sells for $39. iTronz is selling the smaller stub adapter for $9.99, for which Apple charges $29.

Both items are available for preorder, with the cable adapter scheduled to be released September 30 and the stub adapter September 26. Nanotch has a 94 percent positive review on Amazon, while iTronz has scored a thumbs-up … Read more

COLOGNE, Germany -- Phase One and Mamiya, the medium-format camera maker it controls, announced its new 645DF+ medium-format camera with new mechanics and improved focusing abilities.

The companies also announced at the Photokina camera show here the new Schneider Kreuznach 28 LS f/4.5 Aspherical, a very wide-angle 28mm leaf-shutter lens built by Schneider Kreuznach for the Mamiya-Phase One cameras. The camera and the lens are priced the same; each costs $5,990 or 4,290 euros, and each will ship in October.

Compared with the earlier 645DF, all moving parts of the 645DF+ have been completely overhauled for … Read more

Unveiled last week, Apple's 2012 iPod lineup is now available for preorder through Amazon.

The fifth-generation iPod Touch offers the same 4-inch display found on the new iPhone 5 and includes a more powerful A5 processor and a 5-megapixel camera. The new Touch comes in both 32GB and 64GB versions and offers a choice of five different colors. Some models list an estimated ship date of two to five weeks; others three to five weeks. The 64GB pink version shows a wait time of one to two months.

The 32GB version sells for $299, while the 64GB model goes … Read more

The iPhone 5 has just started shipping for consumers who already preordered it or are hoping to grab one on Friday, according to a report from AppleInsider.

A UPS delivery update reportedly sent to the Apple blog site lists a shipment sent out yesterday from its home base in Zhengzhou, China. The scheduled delivery date points to this coming Friday, the date the phone is due to hit the shelves of retail stores.

Some buyers fast enough to have placed preorders also learned that their phones are shipping, AppleInsider added. Such buyers were able to track their orders by using … Read more

Cameras are nice, but to me, lenses are where the rubber meets the road, and Olympus has been turning out some very nice Micro Four Thirds lenses these days. At Photokina, the company is showing off a new moderately priced 60mm f2.8 macro, odd 15mm f8 body-cap lens, a black limited edition version of its 12mm f2, and announced development of a new 17mm f1.8

Optimized to be used in conjunction with the OM-D E-M5, the 60mm macro is weather-resistant to match that camera. It's relatively large -- 13 elements -- and Olympus makes use of all … Read more