Canon 77mm UV Haze

• UV haze filter to protect lens from dust, moisture, and scratches
• Absorbs roughly 71 percent of UV rays to improve image
• Eliminates bluish background haze that obscures some details
• Sits on lens at all times for maximum protection
• Easily screws onto all 77mm lens

Canon 77mm Haze UV-1 Glass FilterThe Canon 72mm UV haze filter not only helps to protect your lens from dust, moisture and scratches, it also allows you to correct for UV effect and eliminate haze from your photos. This filter will absorb approximately 71 percent of UV rays, helping to eliminate haze’s bluish cast that can obscure distant details. This filter easily screws onto your 77mm lenses.

Rating: (out of 71 reviews)

List Price: $ 55.00

Price: $ 27.00

ViewSonic PJD5122 SVGA DLP Projector -120Hz/3D Ready, 2500 Lumens, 3000:1 DCR

• 5.1 lb projector weight, 800 x 600 SVGA resolution
• 2500 Lumens and 3000:1 CR, 0.55″ Digital Micromirror Device
• Manual focus and zoom (1.1X), Multiple inputs (Inc. RGB Out)
• Digital keystone correction, 5 Watt Integrated Speaker
• Lamp life: 4000/6000 hrs (N/Eco)

The PJD5122 delivers 2500 lumens with an 800 x 600 SVGA native resolution. It offers a variety of features including manual zoom/focus and auto vertical keystone correction as well as multiple computer and video inputs, yet it is very easy to set up and use. There are 8 default picture modes including Daylight, Cinema, ViewMatch, Blackboard, Whiteboard and Greenboard. The ECO mode function reduces the fan noise output for less distraction during important presentations and even extends the lamp life up to 6,000 hours. The PJD5122 offers both security bar and Kensington lock port for increased theft deterrence.

Rating: (out of 5 reviews)

List Price: $ 649.00

Price: Too low to display

Short Version: The PJD2121 is a portable projector mainly intended for the business user. The display is bright, the colors crisp, and the contrast is high enough that you don’t need to be in a room with blackout curtains to use it. The price is pretty reasonable, too.

Features:

• Off-to-Go tech allows you to shut it down and go
• Short throw gives you a 60 inch screen from 4 feet
• Only weighs 1.4 pounds
• Supports HD inputs
• MSRP: $415

Pros:

• Vibrant, crisp display; works well in low light
• Small and portable
• Short throw makes is easy to find a place to put it

Cons:

• No speakers
• Fan noise can be distracting
• Price of replacement lamps can be high

Review: While Viewsonic is mainly known for their LCD monitors and displays, they’ve actually been in the projector business for quite some time. The PJD2121 is one of their most recent entries into the portable projector market. I’m very impressed with it: it’s bright, colorful, and works great at short distances. I tried it for PC and console gaming and had no issues with it. It worked best with my Xbox360, and playing Dirt 2 on a 60-inch display was almost a religious experience.

I can definitely see this as an excellent product for a business traveler as well. The display is sharp, clear, and the 1800:1 contrast makes it work well even in a fairly bright environment. Text and graphics all display in vibrant color, and the contrast between text and the background is crisp and easy to read. I was slightly disappointed by the fact that the PJD2121 doesn’t have integrated speakers, but realistically it’s more intended for a business setting then for a gamer like myself.

Be aware that the connections are limited to SVGA 15-pin and component. No HDMI or composite devices need apply. This makes it a great projector for gaming and plugging into your laptop for a sales meeting, but not so great for a home theater setup.

Specs:

• Native Resolution: SVGA (800×600)
• Projection System: DLP
• Brightness: 400 ANSI Lumens
• Contrast Ratio: 1800:1
• Weight: 1.4 lbs
• Aspect Ratio: 4:3 native, 16:9 Selectable
• Image Size: 35 to 150 inch
• Throw Ratio: 1.0:1
• Connectivity: 15-pin HD D-sub and RCA Component

The Viewsonic PJD2121 is a great little projector for $419. The bright colors make it great for watching movies, playing games, or showing that spreadsheet to a client. The projector itself is warrantied for a period of three years, but you should expect to replace the lamp after roughly 2000 hours. A replacement lamp has an MSRP of $456, however a quick search shows that you’ll be able to pick one up for about $150.

Product page: Viewsonic PJD2121

(Credit: Sony)

Updated at 3:15 p.m. PDT with GameSpot’s video unboxing.

Sony on Tuesday finally took the wraps off the much-rumored PS3 Slim and gave it the more affordable $299 price tag consumers have been clamoring for.

Sony Computer Entertainment CEO Kaz Hirai performed the unveiling at a press conference in Cologne, Germany, preceding the opening of the Gamescom Expo. He took the stage and announced the PS3 was “getting a new model” and that, indeed, it was called the PS3 Slim.

The Slim is hitting stores September 1 in North America and Europe and will cost $299 (or for those who live in regions, 299 euros or 29,980 yen). Hirai says the device has the same features and functions as the “old” PS3 but is 33 percent smaller, 36 percent lighter, and comes with a 120GB hard drive. (See photo comparison here).

Sony says that to achieve the new form factor, the internal design architecture of the new PS3 system has been completely redesigned–”from the main semiconductors and power supply unit to the cooling mechanism.”

The PS3 Slim is powered by a new 45nm version of the Cell processor, which runs at the same speed as the 60nm processor in the “old” PS3 but is smaller and more energy efficient. According to company reps, power consumption for the Slim has also been cut to two-thirds, “helping to reduce fan noise,” which is important.

Kaz Hirai unveils the PS3 Slim in Cologne, Germany.

(Credit: GameSpot)

On the cosmetic front, this model has a textured surface finish that gives the PS3 a fresh, casual look that the company hopes will make it more appealing to a wider audience (read: casual gamers). As previously rumored, the PS3 logo has undergone a redesign and Sony’s changing the PS3 brand name from “PLAYSTATION 3″ to “PlayStation 3″ (we’ve actually been calling it the PlayStation 3 for a while).

Like the 80GB and 160GB models, the 120GB PS3 Slim has built-in Wi-Fi and two USB ports (sorry, Sony didn’t add IR or backwards compatibility for PS2 games). You can also upgrade/replace the hard drive without voiding the warranty, though Sony has moved the hard drive from the side of the unit to the front for “easier access.” (To remove the hard drive, you simply unscrew two screws). The one feature missing from the Slim is the ability to install another operating system (i.e., Linux)–Sony is doing away with that feature.

…

Fans in our high-powered PCs keep getting bigger and louder, since our high-powered CPUs and high-powered video cards keep pumping out more and more heat. And no matter how “silent” they’re advertised as being, four of five of them in one case will always make some noise. So what can you do? Liquid cooling is a possibility, but installation can be complicated and failure can be catastrophic. So why not go for a passive solution? Sure, it’s not quite as “effective,” but it’s incapable of making noise — kind of like my friend’s cat.

These big-ass heatsinks just sit on top of your CPU and just let the heat seep out at its own rate. They’re so big, though, that the heat always has somewhere to go and eventually what airflow you do have (I guess you can have a couple fans) will whoosh it right out the vents.

The problem is that these heatsinks, being enormous, are also super heavy. If you’ve got a side-mounted motherboard, and 99% of you do, it’s totally inadvisable to clamp one of these suckers on there, cause it’ll probably rip the CPU right out of its seat. However, if you’ve got a HTPC that sits on its side (yet has the depth to hold one of these monsters), it won’t be a problem. Just don’t reach in there and touch it, it’s hot and sharp.