Sony Action Cam

The Sony Action Cam, at $199.99 or $269.99 (list) for built-in Wi-Fi, is one of the more affordable action cameras available that still offers features like 1080p60 recording. Unfortunately, its video performance is just not up to snuff when compared with superlative offerings like the Editors' Choice GoPro Hero3 Black Edition. The Sony Action Cam?will capture your extreme moments on the cheap, but serious videographers should look elsewhere.

Design and Features
Compared with the boxy GoPro Hero3, the Action Cam looks far more streamlined with its barrel design. The camera measures about 1.9 by 1 by 3.3 inches (HWD) and weighs 2 ounces, making it a hair lighter than the 2.6-ounce Hero3. On the right side are a monochrome LCD and Prev/Next buttons. Around back are a large Record button and a hold switch. The back also slides open to reveal the battery compartment and microSD card slot that accepts cards up to 64GB. A compartment on the bottom houses micro USB and micro HDMI ports and a 3.5mm microphone jack. ?

Like with the GoPro, you cycle through all the settings using the LCD, but the Action Cam uses all three buttons for navigation. Prev and Next scroll through options, and pressing the Record button makes selections. Unfortunately, you can't change any of the settings once the Action Cam is in its waterproof housing, which is a big inconvenience for on-the-fly adjustments. There's a small red indicator light on the back, and like the GoPro, the Action Cam makes a loud beep to confirm shooting.

The accessory selection for the Action Cam isn't quite as diverse as GoPro's. The Action Cam comes with a waterproof housing (submergible to 197 feet) and one adhesive mount for attaching the camera to a helmet. Beyond that, you can get optional handle bar, headband, and suction cup mounts. Once mounted, you can't adjust the angle or tilt of the camera?for that you'll need the optional tilt adapter, which is a bit of bummer. The GoPro Hero3 offers far more mounting options out of the box, including the ability to tilt, while the Drift Innovation HD Ghost?has a unique twistable lens that allows for adjusting to get the level right even while it's mounted.

The Wi-Fi version allows you to connect the Action Cam to iOS and Android devices using a free app. From there you can change shooting settings, trigger shots, use your device as a viewfinder, and upload videos to the Web. Battery life was pretty solid with the Sony Action Cam, while the GoPro Hero3's Wi-Fi functionality was a huge battery drain.

Video Quality and Conclusions
The Sony Action Cam can shoot video at 1080p60, 1080p30, 720p30, and 720p120 resolutions and frame rates. It's a respectable variety, but still falls short of the Hero3's 4K shooting mode, even though that's limited to 15 frames per second. ?

For testing, we sent the Hero3, Sony Action Cam, and Drift HD Ghost out with our photographer on his most recent ski trip. Video quality at 1080p60 on the Action Cam was a bit of a letdown, lacking the same clarity and high-level of detail you find on the Hero3. Details, like bare tree branches, appear smeared and the footage has an overall graininess to it. Exposures look accurate in good lighting, but the Action Cam struggled in low-light and could not keep up with the Hero3 or the Drift HD Ghost.

Still image quality is pretty average here, and as with all action cameras, you're dealing with a good amount of lens distortion. Images top out at 2-megapixels, while the Hero3 can shoot at 12-, 7-, or 5-megapixels. It captures a fair amount of detail, and would be suitable for quick uploads online, but finer details look smudged and images appear flat.

At $200 for the base model and $270 for the Wi-Fi equipped model, the Sony Action Cam is a relative bargain. Unfortunately, you get what you pay for, as the Action Cam was handily beaten by the GoPro Hero3 Black Edition in every regard except battery life. Video performance is pretty disappointing, and compared with the Hero3, the Action Cam misses the mark when it comes to crisp details. On top of that, Sony cannot match GoPro's diversity of mounting options, and the fact that you can't adjust settings on the fly without pairing to a Wi-Fi enabled smartphone or tablet is a pretty big drawback.?

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ziffdavis/pcmag/~3/SyEPcGo5Qh8/0,2817,2419057,00.asp

mario manningham mario manningham williams syndrome hoya casa de mi padre corned beef and cabbage diners drive ins and dives

Blog Monetization Service Skyscraper Comes Out Of Closed Beta, Adds VigLink Integration & WordPress Plugin

Skyscaper launched last year as a pretty straightforward blog advertising service with a focus on helping bloggers make money through direct ad sales. That’s still a main part of its business and the service is currently serving up over 1.5 million ads every day, but as its co-founder Paul Burger told me last week, the company’s focus is slowly shifting to becoming a full-service blog monetization service that “covers all bases.” Until today, Skyscraper was only available as a closed beta, but it’s now open for all. Today, Skyscaper is also launching its integration with VigLink, a service that helps publishers turn their links to retailers into affiliate links without the need to sign up for all oft he 30,000 retailers the service currently supports. Thanks to the partnership between the two services, turning this service on will just take a few clicks for existing Skyscraper users. As Burger noted when I talked to him, this is just a first step in Skyscraper’s shift to offering a broader range of services. The team, which has now grown to four after the company raised a $500,000 seed round last year (and added a few vowels to its name in the process), realized that while direct ad sales are important for independent publishers, most use a variety of methods to monetize their sites. To do so, most use a multitude of services and constantly switch back and forth between them. In the long run, Skyscraper wants to become a dashboard for all of these services as it expands its offerings. One area Skyscraper is thinking about beside the VigLink integration, for example, is sponsored posts. With today’s launch, Skyscraper is also making its new WordPress plugin available for download, which will make it even easier for the vast majority of bloggers to get started on the service. One nifty feature of the plugin is that it doesn’t just make the integration easier, but that it also installs a widgetized version of Skyscraper’s media kit that bloggers can use on their “Advertise Here” pages to funnel potential ad clients directly to Skyscraper.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/gF5pt40t5Fk/

Jenny Rivera Pacquiao vs Marquez 4 pacquiao Jim DeMint Dave Brubeck frankie muniz today show

A White House counsel known for her shoes (Washington Post)

Share With Friends: | | Politics - Top Stories Stories, RSS and RSS Feed via Feedzilla.

Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/308615775?client_source=feed&format=rss

Cookies april fools day april fools day April Fools Jokes Julie Roberts roses april fools

Sharks top Kings 2-1 to force Game 7 in West semis

SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) ? The San Jose Sharks and Los Angeles Kings have followed a familiar pattern for six games: The home team scores first on the way to the win.

After using that formula to force a decisive seventh game in their second-round series, the Sharks know they need to reverse the trend if they want to advance to the Western Conference finals for the third time in four years.

"It's followed the script. Home team wins back and forth," Sharks coach Todd McLellan said. "It's time for us to get there and try to change the story. We're going to have to play a much better game than we did last time in that building. But they earned the right for home-ice. It's our job to take it away from them."

Joe Thornton got San Jose off to a fast start with a power-play goal in the first period and TJ Galiardi added a goal in the second to set up a winner-take-all game in this all-California series.

Antti Niemi made 24 saves as the Sharks earned their third 2-1 home win of the series.

"We wanted this opportunity," said Joe Pavelski, who set up Thornton's goal. "We wanted to go play. We feel like we've played some good games there before. It's been a while since we've won, so we're due."

Game 7 is Tuesday night in Los Angeles. While the Kings seemingly have the advantage of home ice that has been so paramount this series, road teams in NHL history are 8-8 in seventh games of series where the home team has won the first six games, according to STATS.

Dustin Brown scored the lone goal for Los Angeles and Jonathan Quick made 24 saves. The Kings have lost 11 of 12 road games but have been unbeatable at home, winning all six playoff games and 13 straight at Staples Center since the end of the regular season.

"It's come down to one game," forward Mike Richards said. "We're a confident, comfortable team at home. The fans are loud and behind us. It should be an exciting game."

The Kings tried to end it in San Jose, putting pressure on Niemi early in the final period in search of the equalizer. But they couldn't break through against a strong forecheck late in the game ? much to the delight of the loud crowd chanting "Beat LA! Beat LA!" from the start. Los Angeles managed just one shot on goal in the final 2:50.

After taking a 1-0 lead, the Sharks went more than 15 minutes without a shot before regaining their stride early in the second period. Galiardi beat Quick with a wrist shot from the faceoff circle for his first career playoff goal to make it 2-0 and San Jose had a chance to break the game open when Justin Williams was sent to the box with a double-minor for high-sticking.

But Quick and the Kings killed off all 4 minutes of power-play time and then got back into the game with just over 6 minutes left in the second when Brown banked a shot from behind the goal line off Niemi and into the net.

"Every game has been close," Kings defenseman Rob Scuderi said. "I'm sure it's not a shock it's come to a Game 7. I'm sure both teams didn't want it to go this far. Right now, it doesn't matter how we win it, just that we win it."

The Sharks started fast thanks to three early power plays and the desperation of an elimination game to continue the trend in this series of the home team scoring first when they converted on a two-man advantage. With Richards already in the box for tripping Brent Burns, Anze Kopitar shot a puck over the glass for a delay-of-game penalty.

San Jose patiently worked the puck around during the 5-on-3 advantage and took the lead when Pavelski slid a pass across the goalmouth to Thornton, who shot it in from the side of the net to end a drought of 102:14 dating to the second period in Game 4.

"The 5-on-3 in the first few minutes was big. We're just trying to slap down the ice but things like that happen," Scuderi said. "We were trying to limit their start in this building but that got the fans into it early and that hurt us."

The Sharks were lucky that lead held up for the period as they were scrambling after that in part because of an injury that knocked defenseman Justin Braun out for the final 16 minutes of the period.

Los Angeles took the last eight shots of the period, with Niemi making two tough saves to rob Trevor Lewis on the power play and also stopping Kyle Clifford on a rebound in close. The Kings also were unlucky, hitting three posts in the period.

NOTES: The Kings haven't allowed more than three goals in 32 straight playoff games, starting with last year's run to the Stanley Cup. ... Braun returned in the second period. ... Niemi got an assist on Galiardi's goal for his first career playoff point. He joins Mike Vernon and Evgeni Nabokov as Sharks goalies to record a point in the playoffs.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/sharks-top-kings-2-1-force-game-7-071757407.html

sweet potato pie sweet potato pie Turkey Cooking Time Kmart Black Friday PlanetSide 2 sweet potato casserole turkey

A Reply From Silicon Valley (New Yorker)

Share With Friends: | | Politics - Top Stories Stories, RSS Feeds and Widgets via Feedzilla.

Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/308344393?client_source=feed&format=rss

Shark Week London 2012 closing ceremony Shark Week 2012 evelyn lozada UFC 150 Caster Semenya Medal Count 2012 Olympics

How the Fed could ruin your summer holiday

By Luciana Lopez

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Have your summer vacation all booked? Hoping to ignore your phone for a while, feeling safe in your investments and secure in the knowledge that the world's financial authorities aren't planning any surprises just yet?

Think again.

U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke made it clear in congressional testimony this week that the central bank could very well entertain a change in policy sooner than many had predicted. That would mean providing less stimulus to the economy by cutting back on its bond buying program.

The result was an unsettling bout of volatility, with Treasury yields jumping while stocks slid, as investors feared the Fed's support might start to recede.

And that means this could be a summer when investors may find the waves are not only on the beach.

While Fed-watchers are hard-pressed to see a turning point at the bank's June policy meeting, there are plenty of other spots this summer when the Fed could start to prepare markets for change.

Besides the June meeting, there is a policy meeting in July and the release of minutes from both those meetings that will follow. There are three Fridays where monthly jobs data will be released, and plenty of inflation readings and other, lesser economic datapoints.

And of course, there are other potential flashpoints. Will an heir to Bernanke emerge? Will the annual monetary policy symposium in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, this August matter without Ben Bernanke?

Here's what to watch for this summer on the Fed front.

FED MEETINGS AND MINUTES

Fed policymakers meet twice more before the September 2 Labor Day holiday this year: June 18-19 and July 30-31. In addition, the minutes of those Federal Open Market Committee meetings will be released three weeks later.

The June meeting is likely "as good a target as any" for a signal from the Fed about their future plans, said Omer Esiner, chief market analyst at Commonwealth Foreign Exchange in Washington, D.C.

The Fed doesn't want to startle investors, because that would be disruptive. Expect plenty of flags, through meeting statements and minutes, before policymakers make any movements.

DATA DELUGE: JOBS VS INFLATION

The Fed's dual mandate means that both jobs and inflation data will be key. Labor data has been more encouraging of late, with the unemployment rate down to 7.5 percent. The Fed has said it wants to see the rate fall to 6.5 percent before it raises interest rates.

The data has been spotty enough that policymakers could want more consistency. Nonfarm payroll growth has averaged about 208,000 monthly over the past six months but has dipped below that level in some months. Chicago Fed President Charles Evans said he would like to see growth of 200,000 each month before cutting back on bond purchases, also referred to as quantitative easing.

Also far from target is inflation. The Personal Consumption Expenditures index, which is the measurement most watched by the Fed, was only at 1 percent in March. The April reading is due on May 31.

"They would be more comfortable with inflation at 2, 2.5 percent," said Wilmer Stith, co-manager of the Wilmington Broad Market Bond Fund in Baltimore.

With inflation hardly threatening, there are few price pressures to argue for ending the flood of easy money, and the data only goes to underscore the relative weakness of the economy, Stith noted.

THE NEXT FED CHAIR?

Bernanke hasn't officially bid adieu to the Fed, but he is clearly eyeballing the door. His second term ends in January, and there has been no official announcement about his future at the Fed.

"I don't think that I'm the only person in the world who can manage the exit (from quantitative easing)," he said earlier this year.

WITH OR WITHOUT BEN: JACKSON HOLE

Bernanke may be opening the way for possible successors by skipping the Jackson Hole gathering later this year due to an unspecified scheduling conflict.

While Fed Vice-Chair Janet Yellen is emerging as the favorite to hold the position next, Bernanke and company have so far been quiet.

The Fed honcho's absence could mean Jackson Hole offers little in the way of news, in which case, head to the beach and read that trashy novel you've been meaning to get through.

But maybe not.

Bernanke's absence on the schedule could open up a spot for an heir-apparent to take the spotlight instead.

If that is Yellen, "perhaps that is going to be the platform for her to gain even more recognition nationally," Stith said.

DEBT CEILING DEBATES - YES, THIS AGAIN

One thing investors and traders may not have to worry about is a debt ceiling crisis in Washington. The government probably won't breach its congressionally authorized borrowing limit until at least Labor Day.

The perfect bookend to summer, in other words.

(Reporting by Luciana Lopez; Editing by Tim Dobbyn)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/fed-could-ruin-summer-holiday-132815909.html

wwe extreme rules 2012 vontaze burfict jimmy kimmel amzn white house correspondents dinner phoenix coyotes bruce irvin

Dye agrees to meet with NCAA investigators

CORAL GABLES, Fla. (AP) ? Miami senior Dyron Dye has agreed to meet for a third time with NCAA investigators, who want to know why there are discrepancies between what he told them in 2011 and what he wrote in a recent affidavit to support a former Hurricanes assistant coach.

And according to that affidavit, Dye's explanation is simple. He claims he said what the NCAA told him in 2011 was necessary to preserve his career.

Dye's attorney, Darren Heitner, said Saturday that his client stands by what he wrote, which has been obtained by The Associated Press. The NCAA has told Miami that it wants to interview Dye as soon it can, even over Memorial Day weekend, amid "Bylaw 10.1 concerns" ? the rule covering unethical conduct by those involved in collegiate athletics.

"My client stands behind the statements he made in his affidavit, which we understand is supported by affidavits signed by other former players," Heitner said. "Nevertheless, we will cooperate with the NCAA and comply with its request for a third interview."

Dye has already been sanctioned once for his involvement with the scandal that has dogged the Hurricanes for more than two years and was sparked by claims made by former booster Nevin Shapiro, a convicted felon who is currently serving a 20-year federal prison sentence for masterminding a $930 million Ponzi scheme.

After the scandal broke in 2011, Dye had to sit out four games and repay $738 because the NCAA found ? primarily through his own acknowledgement ? that he accepted impermissible benefits from Shapiro, who was linked to dozens of Miami athletes, recruits and coaches over about a decade.

The stakes are higher this time. If the NCAA successfully pursues a 10.1 charge against Dye, his remaining eligibility would almost certainly be gone.

"I feel that it is unfair that the NCAA has twisted my testimony," Dye wrote in his statement, filed on behalf of former Hurricanes assistant coach Aubrey Hill, who faces one of the unethical conduct charges ? the 10.1 ? that the NCAA included in the notice of allegations it sent to Miami in February.

Former Miami quarterback Jacory Harris echoed Dye's claim of NCAA intimidation in another affidavit on Hill's behalf, and it's now expected that more former players involved in the Hurricanes case will say the same thing happened to them during their interviews related to the investigation.

The NCAA has not commented about the affidavit from Dye, who played tight end last year and was planning to switch to defensive line for his final collegiate season. He is recovering from surgery needed after he got hurt on the final day of Miami's spring practice season, but remains hopeful that he will be able to play in 2013.

Dye appears several times in the notice of allegations, which is what Miami will be facing when it appears before the NCAA's Committee on Infractions for a hearing scheduled to begin June 13 in Indianapolis.

Dye, the AP has learned, was one of at least 38 football players who the NCAA said was entertained at Shapiro's home. The NCAA also said Dye, Ray-Ray Armstrong and Andre Dubose were provided "impermissible transportation and benefits" such as a strip-club trip during an unofficial recruiting visit. Dye also allegedly was allowed to stay at the homes of two former football assistant coaches ? Hill and Clint Hurtt ? for no cost during unofficial visits.

The NCAA said Dye stayed at Hurtt's home at least two nights, and at Hill's for at least two other nights.

More allegations involving Dye included that he, Debose and Armstrong were picked up by Hill about halfway between Miami and Orlando and driven by the then-assistant to South Florida for a visit; that Hurtt arranged a trip to a gathering with Miami players at Shapiro's home; that he played in a pool tournament at Shapiro's where the booster was offering a cash prize; and that he dined at an Italian restaurant with Hill and others, with Shapiro paying.

In his affidavit, Dye denied many of those allegations, including that he stayed at Hill's home, that he got transportation from Hill for an unofficial visit, and that he did not dine with a group that included Hill at the Italian restaurant.

With regard to one of his previous interviews with the NCAA, conducted Aug. 16, 2011, Dye said now-retired investigator Rich Johanningmeier threatened his scholarships and remaining eligibility, according to the documents obtained by AP.

"I felt compelled to testify in a manner that would be consistent with the manner in which Mr. Johanningmeier was directing me in order to keep my eligibility," Dye wrote.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/dye-agrees-meet-ncaa-investigators-171801065.html

BCS Rankings 2012 vampire diaries derek jeter Red Bull Stratos Redbull Stratos steve mcnair vice presidential debate