TechTalk

PSA: Canon and other digicam users, camera recalls...

(thanks to a good friend who sent this information)

In the past week, four major camera makers have quietly published service advisories admitting their digital cameras are affected. In each case, the flaw appears to involve CCD sensors using epoxy packaging that eventually lets in moisture.

Canon URL

Fuji URL

Minolta URL

SONY URL

Kodak ships world's first computer-free wireless camera

There's now a computer-less way to dispatch family photos to grandma _ the world's first fully functional wireless camera.

After a summer-long hiccup, Eastman Kodak Co. this week began shipping a digital camera that, within range of hotels, coffee shops, airport lounges, offices, homes and other wireless hot spots, can send high-quality pictures directly onto the Internet and into e-mail boxes.

Unveiled in January, the Kodak EasyShare-One was supposed to hit the market in June but ran into engineering, marketing and other logistical glitches.

In the meantime, Japan's Nikon Corp. looked like it might steal Kodak's thunder by shipping its own Wi-Fi camera to stores last month. But while the Nikon P1 can wirelessly transfer pictures to a computer, the Kodak model remains unique in its potential to bypass the hassle of downloading.

"It's the next step forward in cameras. No more worrying about plugging in the cable," said photography analyst Ed Lee of InfoTrends, a research firm in Weymouth, Mass.

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Radio has its eye on podcasters

Podcasters have already inspired conventional radio stations to evolve.

But their podcasts will increasingly be on the radar of traditional radio broadcasters as fertile grounds to feed the desire for new talent, and ideas.

Both the BBC and Virgin will watch what podcasters do, learning from them, just as podcasters learned from radio.

"It won't be too long before this [podcasting] becomes the normal route to discover new talent," says Chris Kimber, head of BBC Radio Interactive.

He was just one of more than 100 podcasters at Europe's inaugural podcasting conference, in London - PodcastConUK.

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Nano owners complain about damage

Problems with the recently launched iPod Nano are emerging as owners complain of broken or scratched screens.

The smaller version of the popular iPod was unveiled at the beginning of September to much fanfare and delight at its sleek design.

Its delicacy was heralded as a design break-through.

But some fans are beginning to question whether the machine is too fragile for everyday use.

Owners are complaining about cracked, scratched or inexplicably failing screens, sometimes within hours of buying the machine.

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Hi-tech beermats for 21st Century

An intelligent beermat that alerts the bartender that your glass is empty could feature in pubs of the future.

Like an ordinary mat, it absorbs drips; but the gadget also has hidden sensors.

The device will detect the weight of the drink above it, working out how much is left before sending a signal to the bar for a refill.

The coaster can also tell which way up it is, and whether it's moving around. The creators think the mat could be used for voting in pub games.

This might be handy in a karaoke bar, for example, where the audience has to decide whether the performer should continue or stop.

"If they just raise their glass, that's a positive vote; if they raise their glass and flip over the beer mat, that's a negative vote," explained Professor Andreas Butz, at the University of Munich, Germany.

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