Mike Perlman grew up in Nintendo Land and developed a relationship with all things electronic and nerdy early on in his childhood career. Today, Mike covers digital imaging, mobile technology and other various forms of peculiar gadgetry to the best of his gumshoe-like ability for TechnoBuffalo. In his spare time, Mike rides motorcycles, plays Nintendo, ice hockey, drums, and dances around in neon green as Lazer, captain of the world's #1 renegade dance troupe, 123 Party!
As that avalanche of white stuff approaches the holiday season, most of us will be dreaming of sugarplums, dradels and getting as far the heck away from that menacing white stuff as geographically possible. Many Northern residents will be seeking refuge in warmer climates at some point in the frosty season, vacationing in tropical paradises or enchanted ancient cities. So why not brush...
If big optical zooms, top-notch image stabilization and advanced manual controls light your fixed-lens digital camera fire, then the Canon PowerShot SX40 HS ($429.99 MSRP) is the ultimate kindling. It's got an obscene 35x optical zoom 24mm wide-angle lens paired with Canon's stellar optical image stabilization and a new Intelligent IS mode. The PowerShot SX40 HS also received a new 12.2...
Up on the housetop, snap, snap, snap! These Black Friday camera deals fall into your lap! Yes, it's that time of year again. Candy canes, gingerbread men, dradels and yamakas. But most importantly cameras. Cameras, glorious cameras! I've rounded up the best Black Friday deals on my top digital camera choices for the holiday season. I hope this list is helpful to those looking to buy a...
Every once in a blue moon a digital camera saunters across my desk that changes the game at multiple levels, and the Canon PowerShot S100 ($429.99) is one of those cameras. For an advanced point-and-shoot, the PowerShot S100 is about as good as you can get, thanks to various improvements Canon made over last year's PowerShot S95. The S100 was granted a shiny new EOS-inspired 12.1-...
I had two years to prepare for my sister’s wedding in Australia. The plane tickets were booked back in February and I was under the assumption that I had all the information I needed. Why, with cell phones and the Internet, how is anyone to get lost these days? The missing link here was that I neglected to initiate foreign cell service and assumed every airport would have free wireless...
Jingle bells, Batman smells, Robin laid an egg. The Batmobile lost a wheel and the joker got away. Hey! Yes, it's that time of year again, and I've rounded up my top gifts for the holiday season in a similar fashion as Noah's gift list: It's all about me. Me, me me! Actually, if you or someone you know like fast machines, performance laptops, cameras, and Autobots, then this is the...
Ford flew me out to their batcave in Dearborn, Michigan to check out their latest announcements for the upcoming Los Angeles Auto Show. Aside from drooling profusely over a very powerful vehicle that I’m not allowed to talk about until November 15th, I was given a chance to test Ford’s software update for its MyFord Touch touchscreen LCD operating system. While the MyFord Touch system...
I recently read a combative statement in a BBC article that was amplified by one of my favorite guitar-smashing rock legends, Pete Townshend. He deemed iTunes a “digital vampire” that bleeds artists dry without attempting to nurture their creativity. Mr. Townshend then fired a legitimate homing missile at the general fate of the music industry as it lies within the hands of megapowers...
If you're in the market for a highly portable compact digital camera, then you cannot bypass the Canon PowerShot Elph 310 HS ($259.99 MSRP) during your search. The PowerShot Elph 310 HS shares many of the same features with last year's PowerShot Elph 300 HS, including the 12-megapixel 1/2.3-inch CMOS sensor with Canon's Digic 4 processing. The Canon PowerShot Elph 310 HS was nearly...
In this installment of the critically acclaimed Mastering Camera Controls series, I’ll be focusing (get it?) on light painting, or light graffiti as some refer to it. Light painting is a highly artistic way for photographers to express themselves, and it’s fairly easy to accomplish with the right set of tools. Who knows–you may find yourself producing work like my favorite photographer...
Amongst the cavalcade of smartphone and tablet case and accessory manufacturers, few companies distinguish themselves from the pack. id America is one of those companies. Based out of New York, id America’s philosophy lies within the heart of originality. id America states on its website “In a world that accepts ordinary, we seek to design the extraordinary.” After spending time with a...
The Nikon Coolpix S1200pj digital camera is breed of its own, migrating a 20-lumen projector into its compact point-and-shoot body. Believe it or not, this is Nikon's third projector cam, and after a full testing phase, I can safely report that the S1200pj features the company's best projector to date. The projector's throw has been increased to 10 ft. (a 3 ft. boost from the S1100pj),...
Everyone’s favorite sports cam has undergone an overhaul, resulting in the all new GoPro HD Hero 2. Following the success of the original HD Hero, the HD Hero 2’s big upgrades come in the form of Wi-Fi Remote Control, Video Streaming and “Professional Image Capture.” According to GoPro, the HD Hero 2 is also supposed to be much easier to use than its predecessor. Touted to be “twice as...
The world's first light field camera, called the Lytro, can now be pre-ordered online. Pioneered by Stanford University prize-winner Ren Ng for his research on light field photography, the Lytro camera allows shooters to adjust the depth-of-field in post-production, which is an inevitable game changer in the world of photography. Announced today, the Lytro camera appears to be a breed...
As the technology industry continues to flourish and engulf all within its fireball path, the number of voices reporting on its monumental progress are increasing at a rate that is faster than breeding rabbits. I’m referring to the plethora of tech bloggers and journalists who collectively throw their hats into the ring and bust out the digital megaphone in an attempt to be louder than...
Up until the release of the highly intuitive Cadillac Cue driver user interface, automobile dashboard technology had been quite lackluster. Resistive screens, reliance on too many menus, and limited compatibility with peripherals are a few primary illnesses that have been plaguing the auto industry for years. But as the latest technology continues to barrel toward the automotive...
Panasonic announced today that it will supply enough automotive grade lithium-ion cells to furnish 80,000 Tesla Model S electric sedans. In 2009 Panasonic entered a supply agreement with Tesla, prompting a $30 million investment by the “world’s leading battery cell manufacturer” in 2010. Now we have a figure on how many Tesla Model S vehicles will be running Panasonic batteries, and it’...
Electric vehicle technology is nothing new. The earliest carriage manufacturers began toiling with battery-powered cars around the 1830s and in 1899 the Belgium-built "La Jamais Contente" set the land speed world record at 66MPH. But two years prior to that in 1897, the first commercial fleet of EV vehicles were represented as New York City taxis. Back then, drivers had three different...
As I waded through Sage’s rapturous romance novel about owner and device becoming one in a naked entanglement of Gorilla glass and fingertips, I couldn’t help but magnetize to the preposterousness of the whole thing. All I could envision whilst hacking through the dense weeds of idealistic hyperbole was Sage and his naked electronic devices cuddled up in front of a roaring fire as he...
As the mobile gadget population continues to flourish, phone and tablet names grow increasingly idiotic. Marketing and branding teams run out of ideas, and gold is handed to me for rants such as this one. It’s been one hell of a busy week, but that hasn’t stopped the Grandpa of TechnoBuffalo from analyzing select device names that were plucked from a vineyard of lame. Let’s begin, shall...