M2 Tech: Shooting the Classics and more…
There’s something about using a dedicated camera to take photos which make you so much more mindful about taking incredible shots. The compact DX mirrorless Nikon Z fc, with its 0.9MP sensor, is the perfect weight and shape for this.
Its form is inspired by the classic Nikon FM2 film camera and combines heritage design with future performance. You can feel every shot with tactile aluminum dials dedicated to ISO, Exposure Compensation and Shutter Speed. Of course, if you don’t have time for all that stuff, you can let technology take over with fast, accurate focusing, Eye-Detection AF, and a new self-portrait mode.
You can always find your best angle with a fully articulating, touch screen vari-angle monitor designed to make everyday shooting a breeze.
Raw specs make it perfect for recording for Youtube, Vlogging, etc with a 4k Ultra HD Video recording mode and smartphone connectivity.
It comes in seven colour variations: Black, White, Mint Green, Coral Pink, Amber Brown, Sand Beige and Neutral Grey.
More Than a Keyboard
The FICIHP Multifunctional Keyboard with 12.6 inches Touchscreen is an interesting keyboard touchscreen hybrid which is designed to cut down reliance on mice.
On the lower half, you have a standard compact keyboard layout, and across its length at the top is a 1920*515 60Hz touchscreen. Plugging it into your PC via USB-C turns it into a narrow secondary monitor, while plugging it into your phone allows it to expand your phone’s work area for writing and interacting (available for the Huawei EMUI & Samsung DEX). To lure in gamers, it has RGB backlighting, they love that stuff.
Its body is made of aluminium alloy and you can get it in two flavours of Scissor Switch or Mechanical, depending on how you prefer your clicks.
Pricing starts at $289 for retail. Visit kickstarter.com for more info.
Sounds Like Life
JBL is expanding its range hard and fast this year, this time with an expansion on its Live Series headphones with a mix of wireless, over-ear and on-ear headphones in the form of the JBL Live 660NC, Live 460NC and Live Pro+ TWS.
Going hands on with the Live Pro+ TWS is definitely a pleasure with its snug, secure fit. In the box, it comes with replacement buds in a variety of sizes to fit any ear shape. Charging takes two hours from empty, or three via wireless charge, if you have the pad for it. It comes with noise cancellation, talk through, and touch controls on both ear buds. The controls can be fully customised via the JBL Headphones app. You can also use the app to create different sound profiles to get the most punch out of the genre of music you most listen to.
All Steam on Deck!
Steam’s much rumoured handheld is now an official reality, and its specs are insane. Dubbed the Steam Deck, this thing is essentially a way to take your entire Steam library on the go anywhere.
Prices start at US$399 and move up to US$649 depending on how much built in storage you’d like. The base model comes with 64GB and an SD card slot on the back allows you to expand storage. It handles remote play as well if you’re wanting to play a game straight off your PC. Otherwise its onboard GPU (8 RDNA 2 CUs, 1.0-1.6GHz with a four-core 3.5GHz Zen 2 processor) can handle playing games natively.
This foot long bad boy weighs 669 grams. It has a 7″ touchscreen with a resolution of 1,280 x 800 at a 16:10 aspect ratio. It has a 60hz refresh rate but plugging it into an external monitor allows you to crank things up to 8K at 60Hz or 4K at 120Hz.
The Steam Deck handles Bluetooth and USB-C peripherals. A separately sold dock will expand the use of this USB-C slot and allow for an ethernet connection, 3 USB-A slots, an HDMI 2 and DisplayPort 1.4. Battery life goes anywhere between 2 to 8 hours, depending on how intensive the game you’re playing is.
All specs at this time are not finalised, so we’ll have to see what actually comes rolling out of factories when it begins shipping in December 2021.
store.steampowered.com/steamdeck
All Stream on Deck?
On the same day the Steam Deck was announced, Elgato announced its new range of Stream Deck tools. The Stream Deck is an LCD panel system perfect for upping production values on your Twitch live-streams.
Each of the 15 buttons can be customised to quickly toggle any effect on your stream by using a variety of available plugins. A fixed-angle desktop stand keeps Stream Deck firmly planted and can be removed to lay the unit flat or mount as desired. If you’re really all in on aesthetics, the faceplate can also be popped off and replaced with something a little more exciting.
elgato.com
QUESTIONABLE KICKSTARTER: The Poptheatr
The Poptheatr – a trashbag private theatre for your head! Simply connect your phone to the accompanying remote and Bluetooth speaker and place them on the clear upper section. You’re now ready to be entertained. Stick your head in the bottom and lie like a corpse in a public place watching Netflix or whatever it is you psychos are into. Amazon Prime probably.