DannyMinick.com » 10.5 http://www.dannyminick.com @DannyMinick on Twitter. Tue, 07 Sep 2010 04:41:52 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 Using the Canon SD780 IS http://www.dannyminick.com/12/01/using-the-canon-sd780-is/ http://www.dannyminick.com/12/01/using-the-canon-sd780-is/#comments Tue, 01 Dec 2009 06:17:14 +0000 Danny Minick http://dannyminick.com/?p=30 After returning the horrid Eee PC I bought from Asus, I decided to throw my wad of cash at Canon. I was heavily impressed with the PowerShot SD780 IS at Best Buy, after playing with it for about an hour. The price was set at $279, however, due to the new program Best Buy does that allows you to price-match other stores in the area, I got it for $249. And I must say, I am quite impressed.

My previous camera was the Kodak M1033, which was a pretty good camera, but did have some flaws. It was slow at taking pictures, was extremely grainy in low light, and the focus on the lens had a loud motor and could be heard when recording in video mode. The specs were 3.0 inch LCD screen, 10 megapixels, 3x Optical Zoom, and recorded in HD. (720p)

This camera is lightweight, available in three colors; red, black, and gold, has 12.1 megapixels, 2.5 inch LCD screen, 3x Optical Zoom, has an HDMI output, records in HD (1080p or 720p) and is part of the digital ELPH family. Not to mention, it takes really good photos.

I do recommend this camera above all others in the $250 – $300 range. But that’s my opinion. Try out the camera for yourself.

UPDATE: Having to send the camera in for repairs. The microphone is malfunctioning. Canon has a long history of excellent cameras; I think I just have a faulty one. No one is perfect.

]]> http://www.dannyminick.com/12/01/using-the-canon-sd780-is/feed/ 2 Ways OS X can improve visually. http://www.dannyminick.com/11/30/ways-os-x-can-improve-visually/ http://www.dannyminick.com/11/30/ways-os-x-can-improve-visually/#comments Tue, 01 Dec 2009 04:55:45 +0000 Danny Minick http://dannyminick.com/?p=17 I am an Apple evangelist, speaking the ways of the Macintosh, and have been since the days of Vista. I love OS X and the ease of use, the customizable interface, and the many benefits it has to offer. However, no OS is perfect, and despite what most Apple fanboys say, OS X is no exception.

The Dock. The Dock is a very nice feature and has been in OS X for quite some time. However, it lacks a few things, in terms of customization. Apple needs to put in “themes” for the dock. The glassy look is nice, but it gets old. And not everyone like the 3D look. Yes, you can download applications that modify the dock, but I strongly believe that this needs to be built in.

UI Themes. Like Windows, OS X needs themes for the overall interface. The gray look with colorful buttons is nice, but gets old. I would love to see Apple creative support for themes that are built in to OS X, such as an “Aero” look, similar to Windows. Again, you can download software to have a themes in OS X, but Apple needs to make their own, built in to the OS.

More options in Expose. Expose is great, especially in Snow Leopard. I still think it is unfinished, and could use more customizable options, and I also think Apple could implement Expose in other Apple software, such as iTunes, Safari, iPhoto and iMovie.

The return of support for third-party screen savers. When you upgraded to Snow Leopard, you probably noticed that all of your third-party screen savers no longer worked. It is unknown why Apple removed the support for this, but it would be nice to have it back.

These are just a few, but important, things Apple could improve OS X with. There are more, I’m sure. Comments welcome.

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