Saturday, December 6, 2014

Sony New Alpha A7 II Stabilization Power

Sony Alpha A7 II
Sony’s excellent Alpha A7 series of full-frame mirrorless cameras has evolved a lot since its introduction a year ago. The original Alpha A7 and its higher-resolution sibling, the A7R, were announced last October. Both promised (and mostly delivered) a full-frame sensor and pro-DSLR performance in a smallish body. This summer, the A7S joined the party with its 4K video and ISO 409,600 capabilities.

Now there’s already a second-generation A7 for the series. The new Sony Alpha A7 II (Mark 2) has a magnesium alloy frame, and it keeps many of the same specs as the first-gen A7: A 24.3-megapixel full-frame CMOS sensor, shutter speeds of up to 1/8000 second, ISO that cranks up to 25,600, and all the Wi-Fi and NFC options we’ve come to expect on newfangled cameras. It also has the same hybrid autofocus system as its predecessor, encompassing a combined 142 phase- and contrast-detection points. Sony says that AF speed has improved by 30 percent over the original A7.

But this one borrows a great trait from Olympus’s OM-D and PEN cameras. The new Sony camera has a five-axis stabilization system built into it, and if it works anywhere near as well as the system found in Olympus’s cameras, it should make the second-gen A7 an attractive option for macro and telephoto shooters.

You’ll still have to splurge on the A7S to get 4K video capture, but the new Sony Alpha A7 II does use the higher-bitrate XAVC S codec that Sony has been rolling into its newer high-end cameras. Recording 1080p video at 60fps and 50Mbps—about twice the bitrate of the AVCHD video mode on the original A7—the A7 II should provide a nice uptick in the video-quality department. Keep in mind that previous Sony cameras have required a 64GB Class 10 SDXC card to record XAVC S video, so plan your storage-card purchases accordingly.

Like the first-generation A7, the new camera tops out at 5fps in burst mode, but this one is able to shoot at that speed with autofocus enabled. You’ll get a slightly higher-resolution tilting LCD screen on the back of it (1.2 million dots vs. 921,600 on the original A7), as well as the same 2.3-million-dot OLED eye-level viewfinder.

It’ll also have the same price as its predecessor. Starting today, the Sony Alpha A7 II is available for preorder as a a kit with a 28mm to 70mm E-mount lens. That price drops to $1,699 for the body only, and the cameras are set to ship on December 9. The original A7 will survive, and it’s now one hell of a bargain. Its new price is $1,300 for the body only and $1,600 as a kit—very low prices for a year-old full-frame camera.

BMW Exec Cited by TESDA

Joel Villanueva
MANILA, Philippines—The Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (Tesda) cited on Wednesday a luxury car manufacturing company executive for helping produce world-class automobile technicians.

Tesda Director General Joel Villanueva awarded BMW-Asia senior vice president for special projects Kay Segler with a special citation for his contribution to the country’s technical-vocational education and training (TVET).

In a simple ceremony held at the Tesda Women’s Center in Taguig City, Villanueva said that Segler’s contribution and invaluable support had provided world-class training for TVET trainees in automobile technology.

According to the Tesda chief, “Dr. Segler deserves the accolade for leading the way in involving BMW through its support for advanced training modules and providing access to the company’s innovations and technologies…[in producing] top-level technicians with competencies at par with international standards.”

Segler, who is in charge of expanding BMW operations in the Asian region, has come up with programs providing TVET to aspiring automotive mechanics and for being instrumental to the establishment of the Jose Ch. Alvarez (JCA) technology complex in 2012.

The JCA technology complex within the Xavier University compound in Cagayan de Oro City imparts BMW automotive technological innovations to Tesda students in Northern Mindanao.

Villanueva said that the training complex “adopts BMW’s standards to maximize the learning experience of the students in the automotive, computer, electronics and mechanical courses” which would keep their skills at par with automotive workers in other countries.

“We need more executives like Dr. Segler, a friend of tech-voc, who can harmonize business with social responsibility,” the Tesda director general concluded.

Wednesday, December 3, 2014

Mio Fuse Wristband Heart Rate Monitors

If you have not heard of Mio Global before, perhaps now is the time for you to sit up and pay attention to what they offer. Mio Global happens to be the manufacturers of the world’s first heart rate monitors that are capable of offering continuous, performance-accurate data without the need for a chest strap, and this time around, they have announced the availability for one to place a pre-order for the Mio FUSE. The Mio FUSE Wristband happens to be one unique activity tracker unlike others that we have seen before, since it will boast the functions of a heart rate monitor, sports watch, and all-day activity tracker, rolled into one.

Sporting a 0.99 correlation to EKG (electrocardiogram), the Mio FUSE would make its mark in the market as the most accurate wristband to provide heart rate, step count, distance, speed, pace, and calorie burn. Similar to the rest of the Mio products that are in the market, the FUSE will play nice with other devices such as smartphones, bike computers, GPS watches, and different sport devices.

The Mio FUSE Wristband works by transmitting heart rate data through Bluetooth Smart 4.0 and ANT+. It is different from the other sports devices in the market that remain tied to a closed manufacturer’s infrastructure, as the Mio FUSE wristband will be able to play nice with third-party apps, providing users with total and full control over how they can track, store, and review workout data.

Working in tandem with the Mio GO app, the Mio FUSE will allow users to set their heart rate zones, select preferred device settings, customize display screens, and automatically sync data. Not only that, users too can monitor their progress towards a daily step, distance, or calorie burn goal simply by checking their stats displayed on the device itself, or through the use of Mio GO. Expect the Mio FUSE to arrive in time for the holiday season, where it will boast of two sizes; and Crimson and Aqua colors to pick from.