Location, Location, Location
Location may not be “everything” in photography.  Composition, focus,  exposure and a tack sharp image are still king.  When using images to tell a story – even “where I went on my last vacation” – knowing the images location makes a story come alive.

Size Matters
The GISTeq PhotoTrackr Mini is small.  At about the size of a pack of gum or a large flash drive, the Mini easily fits in a pouch, pocket, purse, or camera bag.  Like any GPS device, the PhotoTrackr Mini must be able to receive the GPS signal.  If the PhotoTrackr Mini is left in a car, building or ferry boat where GPS reception is limited or non-existent while taking pictures outside (where GPS signals are available), GPS data for the pictures  will not be available.  To maximize the chances of automatically geotagging photos, keep the Mini with the camera.  A small pouch on the camera strap is the best solution.

Timing is Critical
Camera time, GPS time, local time, close is good enough … right.  Too early, too late – either way the geotag could be incorrect or the photo may not be automatically geotagged.  For best results, fully charge your camera battery and then set the camera’s clock to match the GPS time from the PhotoTrackr Mini.  GPS time is obtained using the PhotoTrackr software with the PhotoTrackr Mini plugged into the computer USP port.

Geotagging
The included PhotoTrackr software can geotag JPEG images.  If you do not use image data base tools like Adobe Lightroom or Apple Aperture, the images can be imported in to PhotoTrackr, crops and minor edits made if desired, and geotagged.  PhotoTrackr also makes it easy to upload images to photo sharing websites like Flicker.  However, if you use Lightroom, Aperture, or other image data base tools, the process is more complicated.  One option is to import the images into PhotoTrackr, geotag the image, and then export the geotagged image.  The geotagged imaged can be imported into the image data base application.  This option results in making three copies of the image – the original, PhotoTrackr import, and geotagged export.  A second option is to us a third party geotagging software, for example PhotoLinker.  This option requires exporting the GPS track (GPX file) using PhotoTrackr.  Then using the GPX file in PhotoLinker or another third party geotagging application to geotag the photos.

Pros:

• Small Size
• Easy to use

Cons:

• Three step process if you want to use the Geo-tagged image outside the Photo Tracker software.
• Non-replaceable battery must be charged from a computer USB port.

System Requirements:

• Windows XP or Vista, Intel ® Pentium ® PIII 500 MHz
• MAc OS X 10.3.9, 10.4, or 10.5.4
• 256MB RAM
• 25MB hard-disk space
• 1024×768, 32-bit (true color) screen
• USB1.1 Port
• Internet connection is required for online mapping

Contact: GiSTEQ

Cost: $69.00 US

One Stop Shopping

With Spyder 3™ Studio SR, Datacolor® provides a complete color management solution with three powerful color management tools:

• SpyderCube™
• Spyder3Elite™ Colorimeter
• Spyder3Print SR™ Spectrocolorimeter

Three Steps to Perfect Color

Step 1- Camera

Proper color management starts with proper white balance and exposure.  By using the 18% grey portion of one of the SpyderCube faces, a photographer establishes an accurate custom white balance  ensuring an accurate image from the start of each new photo session.  Highlights are checked with the shiny silver ball at the top of the SpyderCube.  Exposure can be selected based on the white and portions.  And the Black Trap for shadow detail control. The white and black reference values, and the Black Trap are also employed check and adjust RAW control settings in post processing.

Step 2- Monitor

When adjusting or color correcting an image on a computer monitor, it is critical that the monitor be calibrated.  Without using a calibrated monitor, the photographer is just guessing when making color and exposure adjustments in post processing.   The Spyder3Elite™ Colorimeter and monitor calibration software is an quick, accurate, and easy-to-use calibration tool.  With just a little effort two monitors were calibrated.  After calibration both monitors matched.

Step 3 – Printer

If you expect the print to look like the image on your screen, both the printer and the monitor must be calibrated.  First, print the printer profiling targets with the software.  Then read the targets into the software with the Spyder3Print SR™ Spectrocolorimeter. Presto,  a custom printer profile specific to printer, ink and paper used is created.  And soft proofing in most image editing applications is available after loading the new printer profile.

Pros:

• Powerful, yet easy to use
• Black Trap for shadow detail control

Cons:

• SpyderCube’s shape was awkward in my camera bag

System Requirements:

• Windows XP 32/64, Vista 32/64, Windows 7
• Mac OS X (10.4 or higher)
• USB Port
• Monitor Resolution 1024×768 or greater
• 16-bit video card (24-bit recommended)
• 128MB or available RAM
• 100MB of available hard disk space

Contact: Datacolor

Cost: $599.00

Every Photographer’s Compact
Care to dazzle your eyes with a suave green, or cool blue? And no, I’m not talking about eye shadows. Just as most women have some small makeup compact in their purse, or pouch – photographers, you should carry this nifty kit in your camera bag. It’s flat, compact and oh so functional! Quickly and easily, X-Rite’s Color Checker Passport allows beginning to expert photographers the ease of calibrating digital color from capture to edit.

Mind the Reds
How many times have colors in the field seem less vibrant, or washed out on screen? With the ColorChecker Passport, photographers can dial in accurate color on sight, and in their studio. The X-rite Color Checker combines three main features in the Passport:

• Creative Enhancement Target – enhancement patches that help photographers neutralize, check and evaluate details, highlights and shadows, plus check and control color shifting
• Classic Target – industry standard color reference target for creating DNG profiles and evaluating individual colors
• White Balance Target – allows custom in-camera white balance to establish a consistent white point within sets of images taken in the same lighting

In addition, X-rite provides a desktop application, plus an Adobe Lightroom plug-in and a portable protective case (with lanyard). This compact color kit provides self contained targets in a convenient, protective case.

Balancing Whites and Color
As part of the photo shoot using the Color Checker Passport, a photographer takes a picture of the color and the white balance targets under the same lighting conditions as the subject. Prior to shooting, the white balance target can also be used to set a custom white balance in the camera. If a custom white balance was not used in the camera, the white balance target can be applied to set the white balance from the photo shoot. After setting the white balance for the image with the color targets, the color target image is exported to the color checker plug-in (if using the Lightroom export button or menu comand). The color checker software will automatically generate a color profile that can be applied to the rest of the images. Photographers have the choice of uploading these images from the photo shoot into the desktop application, or within Adobe Lightroom 2.

The Color Checker Passport is not limited to photo shoots with fancy models. Capture that precious, spontaneous moment of toddler, teen, or sprinting pet. Then, take photos of the white balance and color targets within the subjects. And voilà, a perfect image is captured preserving this special memory.

Whether shooting RAW, or shooting for Jpeg images, the Color Checker Passport gives photographers the right tools to improve their images, and eliminate errors. It works great, and makes a great stocking stuffer, or surprise gift.

System Requirements: Mac OS X 10.4, ; Windows XP 32 or 64 bit; 512 MB RAM; minimum of 200MB of disk space, G4 Processor or Intel Pentium 4

Compatible Software Supporting DNG Profiles
• Adobe® Lightroom® 2.0 or newer
• Adobe® Camera Raw 4.5 or newer
• Adobe® Photoshop® CS3 or newer
• Adobe® Photoshop® Elements 7 or newer
• Adobe® Bridge CS3 or newer

Contact:www.xrite.com
Cost: $99.00 US

Seal Shield has the answer to nasty bugs and spills with their washable keyboards and mice. Here’s the keyboard and mice in my dishwasher, ready to be washed with the dirty dishes. Make sure to use the reduced heat cycle, or Energy Dry cycle in the dishwasher (below 140 degrees). After washing, I shook off any remaining drops, made sure the USB connector was dry, then plugged the mice and keyboard back into different computers. And yes, they worked just fine after washing, even wet.

Lots of Choices
Looking at the keyboard, there are deeper channels between the keys allowing liquid to drain through. You might note some stiffness in both the keyboard and mice, but that lessens after use. And every mouse and keyboard you purchase from different stores has a different feel.  The smaller mouse  is similar in size to a Microsoft or Apple mouse (model SSM3).

Work Underwater Too
SealShield sells keyboards and mice that are dishwasher safe, protected by antimicrobial properties, and have laser etched keys that won’t fade with washing. And Seal Shield reports they work underwater. Mice and keyboards come with a rubberized cover for the USB connector. Make sure these covers are secure, and wash away.

Seal Shield warrants a 10 million stroke life cycle, and their products come with a one-year warranty. The gold USB connector resists corrosion and enhances performance.

One washable keyboard glows in the dark. And they even sell washable TV and theater remote controls.

If we can design nano-transmitters, we can design dishwasher-proof keyboards and mice!

System Requirements: Mac 0S X 1..5 (USB, CD-ROM); Windows XP
Contact: SealShield.com
Cost:Keyboard – $39.99 to $69.99; Mouse $39.99 to $49.99;

Let me introduce you to the LiveScribe Pulse Smart Pen. For $149.95, you get your money’s worth and then some with this innovative Smart Pen. It was easy to operate, recorded remarkably well, and yes, let me jump around various notes with ease checking my words to the audio. Worked great.

One Smart Pen
With the purchase of any Smart Pen, users receive:

• 1 GB Pulse Smart Pen and case
• 100 sheet dot paper spiral notebook
• USB charging cradle (pen dock)
• 3D recording headset
• Interactive demo card & Interactive stickers
• 3 replacement pen cartridges
• Getting Started Guide
• LiveScribe Desktop Software

Inside the pen is an infrared camera, recorder and computer. Notes are written on the specialized paper that has a “dot-positioning” system. Written notes and audio can be recorded in the pen, then downloaded from the pen dock onto a user’s LiveScribe web account. LiveScribe provides each account 250 MB of file memory.

Inside the spiral notebook, LiveScribe provides various menus offering a calculator, keyboard, time/date/battery/storage status, and settings. Each dot page also offers mini directions for operation.

Select Recording
In a lecture hall, discussions around your seat can muffle professors. And in conferences, there’s paper shuffling, across the table discussions, and scratching pens. The Smart Pen can be set on conference hall, lecture hall, or automatic to adjust for different surroundings. The pen kit contains a 3D stereo recording headset that can tune out “outside” sounds, and focus on main speakers.

Audio recordings can also be slowed down, or sped up for comfortable listening.

Clear Calculus Notes
My high school senior dashed off two pages of Calculus notes. She sat about 30-35 feet from her instructor (of course, back of the class). Students were asking questions, scraping chairs on the floor, shuffling papers and whispering answers. Even with all the background noise and distance, the teacher’s lecture was loud and clear. Volume can be controlled on individual computers, as well as from individual files on the LiveScribe account.

Next, we downloaded her written and audio notes on the LiveScribe.com website. When registering, each user can create their own account. As the audio played, her notes were highlighted. Users can choose three different functions to highlight notes while the audio is playing. Click on another section of notes, and the audio played the teacher’s discussion at that specific written moment. If there was a specific point she needed for the upcoming test, she could Text search through the LiveScribe Desktop function.

Notes can be made public or private using the online lock, or unlock function. Notes can be sent emailed, downloaded as a pdf, shared on Facebook, sent as a link, embedded in a website, forum or blog, and shared within the LiveScribe community site.

Here are her Calculus notes embedded in this post.

Math 6/09
brought to you by Livescribe
“>Math Notes 6/09

Future Ideas
Play around with the Menu function. Future ideas are to provide games, audio textile graphics, iPhone apps, maybe even a scientific talking calculator that will be accessible under Menu. The Smart Pen will also offer Language interpretation apps for purchase (Spanish, Mandarin, Swedish, and more).

The Smart Pen, and specialized dot paper binders are currently available at various college bookstores, as well as Target stores, Target.com, Amazon.com , and Livescribe.com.

Overall, I was very pleased with the pen. For my senior, her last recorded comment “I’m totally getting one of these for college!” says it all. Just think how useful the Smart Pen would be in business conferences and meetings?

System Requirements: Mac OS X 10.5.5 with Intel; Windows XP 32-bit SP; 600 MHz, 300 MB free disk space
Contact: Livescribe.com
Cost: $149.95 for 1 GB SmartPen; $199 for 2GB SmartPen; 4-Pack Notebook $19.95, 2-pack Black Lined Journal $24.95

Works Underwater Too
SealShield sells keyboards and mice that are dishwasher safe, protected by antimicrobial properties, and have laser etched keys that won’t fade with washing. And SealShield reports they work underwater.

And SealShield reports that they work underwater, have a 10 million stroke life cycle, and come with a one-year warranty. The gold USB connector resists corrosion and enhances performance.

One washable keyboard glows in the dark. And they even sell washable TV and theater remote controls.

If we can design nano-transmitters, we can design dishwasher-proof keyboards and mice!

Made By: SealShield.com
System Requirements: Mac 0S X 1.5 (USB, CD-ROM); Windows XP
Price:Keyboard $39.99 to $69.99; Mouse $39.99 to $69.99
Pros: Easy to wash, and guaranteed
Cons: None noted