Epson launches the Endeavor Na14S netbook

Epson launches the Endeavor Na14S netbook:

These days it seems that a netbook is merely just a small computer, thanks to the tablet invasion netbooks have fallen out favour with consumers and therefore the manufacturers are not too keen on bringing out anything new to this market.

However, it seems that Epson, are of the opinion that there is room for just one more netbook and so they have come up with the Endeavor Na14S! It has a 10.1 inch display, uses the 1.5 GHz Intel Atom N550 processor and the Intel NM10 Express Chipset making this an interesting addition to the netbook market, even if it is just the market in Japan for now.

The Na14S comes with the normal 10.1 inch LCD LED back lit widescreen display with a maximum resolution of 1024 x 600 pixels and there is even room for a built in web camera and microphone.

Epson achieves lower power consumption through the Intel Atom N550 processor with two cores that act more like four thanks to the Intel Hyper Threading technology clocking it at 1.5 GHz and supporting the Intel NM10 Express Chipset. While video and graphics come from the integrated GMA 3150 graphics controller.

As for memory, there is a usable 1 GB of 1333 MHz DDR3 RAM and to save space and weight it uses a 64 GB solid state drive (SSD) although there is an option to go for the 250 GB hard disk drive (HDD) if required.

There is the normal wireless LAN 802.11 b/g/n adapter and other features include the VGA-out, security lock slot, three into one memory card reader and three standard USB 2.0 ports. According to Epson the built in 4400 mAh Li-Ion battery will run for up to 6.1 hours while running Microsoft’s Windows 7 Starter operating system.

The Endeavor Na14S has been released in Japan with a starting price of $423 and maybe it will even turn up on the shelves of other markets too, one day!

Source [Note Book Check]

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RMSP Daily Image #145

RMSP Daily Image #145:

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Dissected: A Deep Look at the 2013 Cadillac ATS

Dissected: A Deep Look at the 2013 Cadillac ATS:

Walk into any BMW store, and you’ll encounter six different car lines encompassing 12 body styles. It’s a similar story at Audi and Mercedes-Benz retailers. At a Cadillac franchise, however, the only car available is the CTS, albeit in three body styles. And it’s a half size too large to compete directly against the Audi A4, the BMW 3-series, and the Mercedes C-class, which are the bestsellers for each of their respective brands.

Keep Reading: Dissected: 2013 Cadillac ATS – Feature

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Driven: 2012 VW Passat VR6 4Motion Euro-Spec: Should We Want What We Can’t Have?

Driven: 2012 VW Passat VR6 4Motion Euro-Spec: Should We Want What We Can’t Have?:

Volkswagen has shifted a lot of its attention to the U.S. market, so much so that we now get a dedicated Passat. Should we be flattered, or should we lament the fact that we don’t get the European model?

Keep Reading: 2012 Volkswagen Passat 3.6 VR6 4Motion Euro-Spec – First Drive Review

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Hyundai Prices 2013 Genesis Coupe From $25,125; 2012 Azera From $32,875; Increases For Both Cars

Hyundai Prices 2013 Genesis Coupe From $25,125; 2012 Azera From $32,875; Increases For Both Cars:

Hyundai has released pricing info for both the refreshed 2013 Genesis coupe and 2012 Azera sedan. The Genesis coupe’s base price rises by $2000 to $25,125, and the Azera’s increases by a healthy $6605 to $32,875. Furthermore, prices for every 2013 Genesis trim level are between $2000 and $2250 higher than 2012. (For a full rundown of the cars’ changes, check out our stories on the 2013 Genesis coupe and 2012 Azera.) The details:

2013 Genesis Coupe

• 2.0T: $25,125 + $1250 for optional eight-speed automatic ($2000 increase over 2012)


• 2.0T R-Spec: $27,375 ($2000 increase over 2012)


• 2.0T Premium: $29,625 ($2000 increase over 2012)


• 3.8 R-Spec: $29,625 ($2000 increase over 2012)


• 3.8 Grand Touring: $32,875 ($2250 increase over 2012)


• 3.8 Track: $33,875 + $1250 for optional eight-speed automatic ($2250 increase over 2012)

2012 Hyundai Azera

• Single trim level: $32,875 + $4000 for optional Technology Package


• Standard equipment includes: keyless entry and push-button start, heated leather front and rear seats, touch-screen navigation system, backup camera, premium audio with subwoofer, dual-zone automatic climate control, 18-inch wheels


• Technology package adds: panoramic sunroof, xenon headlights, power rear sunshade, manual rear side sunshades, ventilated front seats, rear parking sensors, Infinity audio system, power-adjustable steering column, driver’s seat memory, mirror and steering column memory

The Genesis and Azera’s price increases make sense, after all, both cars are thoroughly reworked and, in the case of the Azera, there’s a lot more standard equipment than before. However, the Genesis coupe’s figures give us pause. First, a six-cylinder Ford Mustang starts at $23,105, more than $2000 less than the four-cylinder Genesis 2.0T, and brings 31 more hp to the party. Second, the Genesis 3.8, which is powered by a 348-hp V-6, is playing in the 412-hp Mustang GT’s sandbox when it comes to price if not performance. And the 2013 Mustangs get even more power. We will be driving both the new Genesis and Azera soon, when we’ll find out whether the new Genesis’s updates are worthy of their extravagant price premium.

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Jaguar Considering Track-Focused Special-Edition XKR-S Coupe

Jaguar Considering Track-Focused Special-Edition XKR-S Coupe:

Jaguar is considering building a handful of special-edition XKR-S coupes—of course, with just 100 of the super coupes being built each of the next three years, the “non-special” car already will be a rare sight.

Frank Klaas, Jaguar’s global head of communications who describes the XKR-S as an “ambassador of the brand,” said that the proposed special-edition model would appeal to the guy who wants to drive to the track, lap or race to his heart’s content, and drive home. As such, the car might lose its rear seats and gain lighter stereo and HVAC units for the touch-screen-based systems, hard-core racing seats, a fire-suppression system, unique gauges, and track-focused aero addenda. A roll cage may or may not be part of the package, depending on the markets in which the car is sold. (If the examples of various track-ready Porsche 911s are anything to go by, ours would be one of the markets to do without the cage.)

As with the standard XKR-S, this variant—which could be named after the Nürburgring, where production-grade XKR-S models have allegedly posted sub-eight-minute lap times—would be built by Jaguar’s in-house Engineered To Order (ETO) group. (If the XKR-S is an ambassador for the brand, consider ETO the consulate. Klaas promises that the ETO team, which quietly fulfills requests for bespoke cars for high-value customers, will play a more prominent role in Jaguar marketing in the future.)

We weren’t told whether the special-edition coupes would add to the annual 100-car XKR-S allotment, but Klaas did say that a harder-core version of the convertible is not being considered at this point. Watch for a vehicle to be floated out to gauge interest at either next month’s Geneva auto show, or, more likely, the Paris auto show in the fall.

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2013 Audi RS4 Avant Revealed: The Wild Wagon Packs a 450-Horse V8

2013 Audi RS4 Avant Revealed: The Wild Wagon Packs a 450-Horse V8:

Audi’s high-performance wagons are icons. The mid-1980s saw the 100/200 Turbo Wagon, and things got really wild with the RS2 launched in 1994. It was an over-the-top variation of the Audi 80 Avant created with assistance from Porsche, powered by a 315-hp version of Audi’s 2.2-liter turbo five-cylinder and wearing wheels from the 964-gen Porsche 911. (Its side mirrors and front turn signals were from the 993, too.) The RS2 was followed in 1999 by the first RS4, which packed a 380-hp, 2.7-liter twin-turbo V-6. Audi launched the second-gen RS4 in 2005 with a naturally aspirated, extremely high-revving 4.2-liter V-8; this powerplant was engineered by Wolfgang Hatz, now head of Porsche R&D. For the first time, Audi offered a sedan and a convertible in addition to the station wagon. The previous-gen RS4 was sold until 2009. One year later, the RS5 coupe was launched on a platform shared with the current A4, as a sort of RS4 stand-in.

Keep Reading: 2013 Audi RS4 Avant – Auto Shows

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Sliders. Not the little burgers you get at the bar. But a bar with a slider and a camera on top.

Sliders. Not the little burgers you get at the bar. But a bar with a slider and a camera on top.: I've been playing around with "new" video lately and that seems to call for lots of shots with sliders. Sliders are basically rail systems that allow you to do controlled camera moves parallel to a subject. A couple days ago I did a slider shot of my desk. It's different from a pan. Look: http://visualsciencelab.blogspot.com/2012/02/yesterday-was-about-marketing-and-fine.html

I saw some really cool video, shot on location in Egypt, and I immediately wanted a slider. And then I started researching and checking prices. A decent rig started at $600 and went up from there. I decided I'd wait for the proverbial "big project" before I started dropping big money all over the place. And then my home science brain kicked in and I started thinking about ways to do it myself. One afternoon I stumbled over a supplier called, "Igus" on Amazon.com. This is how their product is described: DryLin® W16-A Linear Motion System for Camera Sliders. The price, delivered, was right at $150. I took a chance.

A few days later I got this long, incredibly well machined rail and a carriage assembly that runs on teflon coated Delrin wheels. The top of the carriage is a solid block of 1/4 inch aluminum. I grabbed a pair of goggles and the electric drill. I taped off all the wheel areas and drilled a 3/8ths inch hole right through the center of the square aluminum block with my titanium drill bit. Really. Very macho.

The rail has drilled holes every six inches or so which would allow you to mount legs or some other method of securing the whole system but I prefer to use Super Clamps and light stands. A clamp on each stand seems to work fine. The stands I'm showing in the top and bottom images are way too small. If the stands aren't strong enough you'll get a lot of wiggle and jiggle. Not what you want in your shots.

Now, when I use the rail, I mount it between two short Century Stands and that seems to do the trick. There's no play in the system. Just for added assurance I drop a twenty pound sandbag over the highest leg of each C-Stand. That makes for a rigid foundation.

In the illustrations here I have a Manfrotto ballhead mounted on the rig. It's fine for sweeping a camera back and forth in a straight line but sometimes I like to pan in the opposite direction of the slide or tilt up or down during a slide and I'd like to do it smoothly. For those uses, out comes the Manfrotto 501 HDV fluid head tripod. The leveler ball doesn't fit on the base but that's okay because I usually make sure the rig is level, from side to side, before we start shooting.

What do I use to level the whole thing? Well, I've just figured out a good use for my iPhone. It's called "Level-O-graphy." You can download a cheap as free app that turns your iPhone into a level. And it works pretty well. Also works as a plumb line. I whip out the phone, randomly do a couple of Hysteriagrams, and then switch to level-headed mode and blaze away. Distracting though, when your level rings...

I seem to have Super Clamps scattered all over the studio so they were also cheap as free and they do a great job of holding the rig in place. They break down quickly when were finished doing our Spielberg imitations.... JJ Abrahms would be proud.

So, the image below is pretty much all there is to it. With big enough support stands you ought to be able to use just about any camera but I've found that the larger the camera the better. The increased mass is easier to stop and start and move easily and, since it has its own inertia, a bigger camera tends to stay in motion more smoothly. That's it. If you want to play with sliders then just make one. When the big bucks roll in there will always be time to go for the fancy ones.

©2010 Kirk Tuck. Please do not re-post without attribution. Please use the Amazon Links on the site to help me finance this site.

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Cool, futuristic lobby.

Cool, futuristic lobby.:

Canon 5Dmk2, 20mm Canon EF lens. Available light.





I think I've posted this image before but I came across it today and it reminded me how much photography could be done with simple tools. Earlier in my career this would have been shot on 4x5 inch sheet film but with careful metering and a few clicks of the transform tool in PhotoShop I am very happy with this rendition. The only hold over from the earlier days is the need for a stout tripod.



Some people decorate with flair. I really enjoyed being in this space.

©2010 Kirk Tuck. Please do not re-post without attribution. Please use the Amazon Links on the site to help me finance this site.

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