Gadgets

Sandisk has finally created an MP3 player that I can buy my son. The only improvement I can think of would be the ability to play Ogg Vorbis in addition to or instead of MP3s.

Wow. Just, wow. If only I had the money to blow right now. I am am drooling over the new Linux-powered phone/PDA from Motorola. What more is there to say?

This is mostly a note to myself, so feel free to ignore if you find gadget-oggling dull.

A friend gave me enough disposable AA batteries to keep my shutter going for a while, but rechargables and a good universal (US wall/car, Euro wall) charger are on the future purchase list somewhere.

Of more immediate concern are a very slim camera case (haven't found one I like yet) and enough memory to be able to take more than 6 or 7 pictures at a time. The high-speed SD memory cards I'm looking at come in 2 GB, 1 GB, and 512 MB (0.5 GB) sizes, for about $90, $50, and $31, respectively.

I finally broke down and bought a digital camera. I've been putting off spending the money, but now that I have, I'm glad I did. I am impressed.

The camera I purchased is a Nikon Coolpix L1. I was apprehensive at first, as I'd intended to save up for a different, more expensive camera from the same maker. Having tried the L1 out for a day or so, I am impressed. I didn't think that digital photography would become this accessible this quickly.

The camera cost about $200+tax. It lacks a traditional viewfinder, but the huge 2.5" LCD screen is brilliant and easy to read, even in direct sunlight. The pictures, so far, are beautiful, even in low-light situations. I will note that the flash takes an annoyingly long time to charge, so any rapid-fire shooting must be done in very bright sunlight or with a tripod to avoid blur.