Breakfast Waffles

Lately, I’ve been fortunate to stay home and am able to prepare my children breakfast. Usually it’s a batch of waffles or pancakes but lately, I’m into the eggs and no carb kick. Here’s a shot of my little one Arden enjoying her waffles which were cut up into tiny tiny pieces.

I might have mentioned before but I love carrying my camera or having it readily available to capture these moments. I did have my iPhone X in my back pocket at this moment but the Sony A7RII was also nearby and I was able to grab it within seconds and take this snap.

Xbox One Already Lowering Price

"We're doing this because it will generate sales, absolutely," Eagle told GameSpot. "I think it's a great deal for people in the UK to get a next-gen machine for £399 including Kinect, including Titanfall, in the box. Yeah, it's a great deal and hopefully lots of people will take up the offer."

So they're not having trouble outpacing Sony's still hard to find PS4? I'm thinking that although this deal is for the U.K. only, we'll see it soon here in the U.S. closer to Titanfall's release. Hell, I'm honestly contemplating it too but after seeing my 360 collect dust, I'm not holding my breath.

update: looks like its official that Microsoft is releasing a digital download version Titanfall bundle for $499.99 ultimately saving $59.99 for the game.

Gieson's Initial Impressions on Sony's PS4

If you're looking for a clear winner in the latest console wars, you're not going to find it for at least another year. If you haven't bought into the next generation consoles or are trying to make the decision between Microsoft's Xbox One, Sony's PS4 ((I bought into the PS4 and no, do not have a preorder in for the Xbox One)) or even Nintendo's WiiU, check out my friend Gieson Cacho's Initial Impressions for the Contra Costa Times on the PS4.

Binding these games together is the social experience, which was the big surprise. The Share button lets players capture screenshots or stream their gaming sessions on sites such as Facebook, UStream or Twitch.tv. It opens up a world of possibility. It could do for streaming what YouTube did for Web videos. That's easily the console's killer app.

From my initial impressions, the PlayStation 4 presses the right buttons for the core crowd. All it needs now is a great game to make them happy with the system.

I currently have the PS3, Xbox 360 and Nintendo WiiU. I have definite regrets on both of the latter two devices but they did have their place at one point or two. I do see a Nintendo 3DSXL ((impart due to Pokemon Y and Polygon's review of the latest Zelda)) in the future and maybe a Playstation Vita.

Playstation 4 Games on Sale for Three Hours on Amazon!

Buy 2 get 1 one free (save 33%) on Sony Playstation 4 launch titles! You have 3 hours left to capitalize on this amazing Amazon deal! Start off by adding Battlefield 4 if you prefer that first person, here!

When you've added 3 games to your cart, check out using "GR8TNESS" ! I'm up for Call of Duty: Ghosts, Knack and Fifa 14. Maybe Assassins Creed Black Flag too!
Don't forget the awesome first party launch games Killzone 4!

Remote Play Diablo III on Sony's Playstation Vita!

This alone may be the reason for a Sony Playstation Vita. Now how about Final Fantasy XIV? That'll seal the deal! Once again, Sony is setting the Vita to be the ultimate Playstation 4 accessory. https://twitter.com/Diablo/status/400073137590530048

Now, which version Vita should I buy? Generation 1 with the OLED or Gen 2 that's slimmer, standard charger, lighter but powered w/ an LCD screen.

Also Updated in Tech

Amazon updated their line of Kindles, Microsoft launched their new Surface 2 and Surface Pro 2 line and Sony released new Walkmans. (wait... people still use Walkmans?) My takes:

Amazon Kindle:

They are all beautiful devices especially at the new entry-level price of $139 for the Kindle Fire HD.  Unfortunately, I still love reading on the Kindle Paperwhite but for only and additional $20, it's tempting especially to those that are without a tablet and are love the Amazon ecosystem.

At $229, the brand new 7" Kindle FIre HDX is directly competing with Google's Nexus 7.  The screen is rated at an amazing 323 ppi! Once again, if Amazon is your jam, this might be the goto tablet but if you find yourself wanting to directly interact more with the Android system, then the 2013 Nexus 7 is still the best bet.

Microsoft Surface 2:

I want to like them.  I was really impressed with the build quality of the Surface Rt & Pro Gen 1 but as with Gen 2, I still find them too expensive when coupled with a keyboard.  The touchscreen is nice and Microsoft is making leaps and bounds in advancing the Windows 8 system and ecosystem.  I'm still confused on its identity especially with the fact that the pricing model on the Surface Pro 2 brings it inline with the MacBook Air.

The bump in resolution is much welcomed.  The two position kickstand and longer battery life is also a plus.

I have no idea why the new commercials are comparing the Surface RT to an iPad.  They are different tablets for different users.  And I still hate RT.  I mean I guess iOS is a trimmed down OS X but it's not necessarily a bastardised version. If they included Windows 8.1 throughout the lineup, I think it'd help their fragmentation issues.  Because of that, I'm all for the Pro model but then again, the increase in price negates it's as an option.  $899???

Sony

I'm always curious on to who uses Walkmans, but if you want Hi-Res music playback, then I guess Sony is a pretty good bet. At $760, that's a little steep. I'm too lazy right now and don't think this will really interest most of you so I'll just link directly to Engadget's write-up here.

Playstation Vita TV

The fact that this box alone will do remote play for PS4, that's pretty awesome! Never mind that it can play Playstation Vita games (I don't own any) but I can see it spawning more sales! It's going to give Apple TV a run for its money if it allows streaming from iOS too. Hopefully we'll know more soon. http://youtu.be/rG5l78gbvpU

Oh hey, and if you've been thinking about buying a Playstation Vita, they're getting rid of the OLED screen in favor of LCD. Its also 20% thinner, 15% lighter plus they squeezed out an additional hour of battery life! Among other requests, you can also built in 1 GB memory and a micro USB charger. Maybe I'll be Vita-ing soon.

Apple New iPod Touch

If you want an iDevice sans cellular network, this is your answer.  Granted Nintendo's 3DSXL and Sony's Playstation Vita come in at $100 less and up to $50 less causing me to question Apple's price point.  Is this new iPod Touch more valuable than the other two gaming companies current offerings?  I personally don't think so but that's because I already have an iPhone 5.

If you’re looking for a device like the iPod touch, buying this year's model is an absolute no-brainer, but I’d bet more people are going to think twice before laying out $300.

via David Pierce, The Verge

Finally...a Digital Camera That I Like

It's about time Canon took the lid off their newest additions to their digital camera offerings.  Set to be available at your local retailed by October, Canon is updating their Amateur, better than just the normal point and shoot, G10 and both point and shoot SD990 IS and SD890.  Both cameras offer Canon's new DIGIC 4 image processor and shoot a high 14.7 megapixel. 

The G10 is more focused towards the guy who doesn't want to lug around a Digital SLR but wants a little more features than the P&S cameras.  The 990 varies from the 890 with the inclusion of a view finder but thus sacrificing the given space for a smaller LCD, which we all know doesn't matter.  The view finder is definitely more important than and extra half inch of screenage. 

 

I'm still tinkering with the idea of replacing my 4.0MP Sony P9 that I bought in 2002 for $600 or so dollars, which by the way still performs and captures what I need it to do, but I have to admit that after borrowing a few of my friends newer cameras, it just puts mine to shame.  My flash takes forever to recharge, the LCD is tiny the battery life is shot and the storage capacity of the older Sony Memory Sticks require me to dump my photos very often.  

I just can't quite decide which camera I want though.  I'm all for having a digital SLR, but again, I don't want to lug it around with me to a club, where as the SD 990 would be a perfect substitute for that.  Having an DSLR and a P&S would be ideal, but currently, I'm all for just having one piece of good hardware for now.  So, which will it be --  A P&S or a mid range sub-compact?  Straight from SizeEasy, here is a cut out of the dimensions side by side in 3D.  Obviously, the yellow image is the larger Canon G10 while the purple displays the SD990 IS. 

With the downturn in the economy, the rumor of a new Macbook Pro from Apple and the salary that I get, looks like I'll be working extra hard in the next few months to finance the new toys.  :-)  Oh yeah, Christmas is coming too...

Below are Gizmodo's two blogs on the cameras. 

Gizmodo: Canon PowerShot G10 14.7MP Flagship Sub-DSLR Goes Wide-Angle

Gizmodo: Canon PowerShots SD990 and SD880 Offer Image Stablization, Shininess