This is the hot season for new camera introductions to be entering the market and 2012 is shaping up to be one of the hottest years in camera technologies in quite some time. The fact is that camera makers are having a bit of a hard time. There is no question that more and more people are taking pictures with their smart-phones and some of the latest camera phones take some impressive pictures, especially in well lit environments.

Just check out some unretouched pictures from Apple's latest iPhone 4s!




So the camera manufacturers are creating additional value propositions as consumers move up the scale beyond standard point-n-shot cameras. And I recently wrote a note about Nikon's big 2012 line-up and I see the same level of intensity coming from other manufacturers...especially Canon and Panasonic.

Let's look at some of the hotness recently released from Canon...

Canon PowerShot S100
Canon started out late last year with the introduction of the successor to the popular S90/S95 compact performance cameras. This camera features a high-end array of features including an all-new 12.1 megapixel image sensor, bright F2.0 lens and powerful new image processing technology that is a substantial upgrade from their previous models. You've heard me rave about the S95 and this S100 (I have both)...and I have to say that the latest S100 is a great camera, it is a marvel of small size and very good image quality especially when taking nice, bright pictures in the shorter zoom range (1x-3x). This lens lets in a lot of light for a camera so small and allows you to take many indoor photos even without a flash. The addition of a slightly wider-angle (24mm) is a nice boon but increasing the zoom to 5x did introduce some compromises on the the brightness on the latter end of the telephoto range. I wouldn't use this new level of zoom unless you are outdoors on a nice sunny day or well illuminated environment.

Another popular use for this camera at our household is as our "go to" video recorder. And the new S100 adds the ability to quietly zoom while recordings which is a very nice addition. We find that 80-90 percent of our family video shoots, we use this camera over pulling out a full camcorder. The S100 introduced full 1080p video resolution versus our old S95 at 720p.

Sadly, the battery life has gone backwards on the S100 from the S95 which is a bit of a shame. But I still highly recommend this camera, it really satisfies the "you can only take a picture, if you have a camera" and the S100's size is truly pocketable. The images can frequently be confused for pictures from my higher-end digital SLR cameras. This is something I carry around with me all the time. And most of the pictures I share with friends and family come from this camera.

If you have the S95, it is really not enough of an upgrade to justify the move. The update includes a longer 5x zoom starting with a respectably wide 24mm and going all the way up to 120mm, GPS and 1080p video capture with zoom. If you don't have a quality, easy to use and pocketable camera...this is the one for you.

Canon PowerShot G1X
In an effort to fill the void between "point and shoot" and "digital SLR" cameras, Canon is taking the approach of a compact, all-in-one design (camera body and integrated lens) where you get an all-new 1.5 inch 14 megapixel image sensor that is substantially larger than your traditional compact cameras (approaching Digital SLR size) and an integrated 28mm wide angle / 4x zoom lens allows this camera to be a good compliment to someone looking for a second camera to support their larger DSLR camera.

Sample from Canon G1X

I've played with this camera a far bit and have mixed feelings about this new, first-generation offering. Canon is taking a different tack versus their competitors that are offering small, professional-styled compacts with interchangeable lens. Canon integrated the lens and while this adds a lot of convenience in a compact form factor, I also believe this is giving the camera some serious weaknesses. The first thing you will notice is that focusing is not as fast and crisp as some of the competitor offerings. Where this camera shines though is in its large sensor that captures light more cleanly thus affording some very impressive low-light pictures and bright, clean pictures overall. See sample to the right.

I'd say this camera feels a bit first generation and has huge potential to improve over the years. For now I would lean toward the Canon S100 which is MUCH more pocketable if you want a small, secondary camera that offers a decent amount of control. Or if you looking for more of a step up than the S100 offers, I would recommend the Canon G12.

Canon 5D Mark III
Now we are really leaping into the upper regions of the Canon camera universe with the newly introduced 5D Mark III. This is a semi or professional digital SLR (DSLR) camera that offers an impressive 22 megapixel full-frame sensor. This is a very large sensor, most sensors in the consumer DSLR realm are "cropped" and only have a fraction of the size of a full-frame (same image sensor real estate equivalent to a 35mm film photograph).

Though it looks quite similar to the Canon 5D Mark II (note: this is my current "go-to" camera), the 5DM3 is an all-new design on the inside and really leverages some innovations in the Canon crop sensor space from the hugely successful Canon 7D. But this new camera one ups almost ever aspect of the previous Canons before it. The new 5DM3 leverages the 61 point Auto-Focus system from the top-end Canon 1DX and offers a huge ISO range of 100-25,600 to allow for some impressive low-light and high-speed photography.


At the core is a new Canon Digic 5+ processor which adds much needed horsepower to a camera handling large images. You will also find support for UDMA 7 Compact Flash cards as well as dual memory card slots accommodating Compact Flash and SDXC cards.

It is really hard to compare the 5DM3 versus the 5DM2. While they look almost identical except for a few tweaks here and there. The insides are completely different and really have evolved based on the needs and feedback of professionals to provide a fast and adaptable camera. The old 5DM2 was focused on megapixels and image clarity that proved a great landscape camera but the older camera was a bit slow on its focus. This new camera is notably more accurate and faster.

While I will go into a more in-depth review in the near future, suffice it to say, I am impressed with this new camera and it is right in my wheelhouse of features and capabilities. But I am a bit torn between the Canon and its direct competitor...the new Nikon D800. I do tend to prefer the color gamut of the Canon over the Nikon's almost surgical imagery.

My personal camera shopping dilema...

Typically I like to "make a recommendation" on this blog. I tend to point out my personal preferences and point out why I feel that way. But on this last category of product, I just haven't pulled the trigger on either yet as I need to spend a bit more time with both the Canon 5DM3 and the Nikon D800 before deciding.

Regarding price, the Canon 5DM3 and all it's horsepower comes at a price...$3,499 for just the body vs the original 5DM2s $2,699! There is no question, the 5DM3 is a much needed upgrade. I would love the improved speed, some notable improvements in some photographic technicals like how it handles color-fringe correction, metering and it's advanced focus system. And if you are vested in Canon lens...this is a great update and highly recommended. But I have both Canon and Nikon gear and from a pricing standpoint, the Nikon D800 is priced at $2,999 for the body and comes with an impressive 36 megapixel sensory plus all the other updates mentioned in my previous Nikon 2012 write-up. And my 5DM2 is still a solid performer. Hmmmm????

If you have some questions or thoughts about this, please comment.

More to come...

Larry Pacey, award-winning designer tracks the latest news on consumer products, electronics, appliances, smart devices, networking and the gadget lifestyle.

For the latest news follow me on: ------------------------------ OR ------------------------------- Follow me on Twitter @WouldntMindThis Please comment below and share your thoughts. If you have any feedback or questions, feel free to email me at wouldntmind@gmail.com. Just my 2-cents, Larry

I ordered the new iPad last week within minutes of its order-ability. I am not happy about it but I did. Now the iPad is a great and marvelous device and I really enjoy my original iPad and I know my wife and son will continue to use it for years to come. I have also previously written several pieces about this breakthrough device including topics like "No idea why someone would buy any tablet other than an iPad" and a very detailed article on some great apps for an iOS device titled "What can you do with that new iPad".

I didn't purchase the iPad 2. There was not enough to differentiate itself...so I stuck with my original. The new iPad (what is it called anyway...iPad 3? iPad-3rd Generation?) does have enough to differentiate itself from its predecessors. Primarily the display and 4G-LTE wireless connectivity are great additions.  But I am still very disappointed in my purchase.

So where do I start? Let's talk about what is driving my disappointment since the technical specs are well known and written all over the web, I don't need to talk too much about why the new iPad "high resolution / fast connectivity edition" (note to self: gotta work up some naming convention/acronym for this version of the iPad) is cool.

Instead there is an ugly story here and it needs to get vetted.
I don't want to get too technical and geeky on you but here it goes...

I've written previously that the MAIN reason I had not upgraded is that the iPad 2 only offered a maximum of 64 gigabytes of storage...the same maximum on my original iPad. And my memory is full. The new iPad "quad-core graphics processor will hopefully highlight better games edition" I ordered has only 64 gigabytes of storage as well. That was the maximum.

Sure I am a power-user but this problem will permeate to your experience as well no matter the type of user you are or which iPad you have. But more about me;-)

I purchase lots of apps and games. I store a good amount of documents I want handy like Powerpoints, PDFs, eBooks and the like. I have some video footage (professional and family stuff) and a good amount of photos too. I have a dozen albums of music, a few TV episodes and a movie or two depending on where and how far I am traveling.

Apple will tell you to leverage "the iCloud" for your additional storage needs. What that means is that you can store information on the internet and stream it to your device when you need it. And for 50% of the time that may work. What happens when you don't have a good internet connection? What happens if you don't have 3G or 4G cellular option and no wifi? What happens when you are on a plane or someplace without service? Have you seen cellular data fees aboard? And even if everything is working great...at the end of the day I end up spending too much time managing what I have on my device and what is in the cloud. What if I choose poorly?

It comes down to the fact that I want my information readily available on my device when I need it. After the past two or three years my needs have grown but the iPad storage has not. As it stands today, I really require more physical storage on the iPad for it to be viable for me. Many have begged for an expandable memory card type of slot...and that would be very nice. But I would have even happily paid a premium for a 96 or even 128 gigabyte configuration!

At this point you are saying...why should I care?
You should and here is why my situation is only going to get worse!

The new iPad "Quad-Core Graphics Chip Edition"...(same new iPad just trying to find a name for it) has this amazing new Retina display. Retina is a fancy name Apple came up with to mean that they have jammed a lot of pixels into each square inch of that tablet's display. It is a bit of marketing hype but you get the gist. The end results in some super fine graphics resulting in clean, crisp fonts and the like. These pixels are so smashed together tiny that they border on not being distinguishable from the human eye.

Well guess what happens with your application's graphics packages are rez'ed up to leverage that amazingly detailed display? The application file size gets bigger! 
I am talking about applications 2 to 3 times larger than their previous versions. We are already seeing this on Apple's own released software for the iPad "31 Million Pixels Edition". Check out the file sizes for Apple's Keynote app growing from 115 megabytes to 327mb and iMovie exploded from 70mb to 404mb to support the new Retina resolution version.

So it doesn't matter if you have the 1st generation, 2nd generation or 3rd generation of iPad...if you want to get the latest applications with new, cool features...you will soon see your capacity shrink dramatically. Those skimpy 16 gigabyte iPads will quickly become obsolete unless you are limited to using a handful of applications beyond what already comes with the device.

Well I still ordered my new iPad "Finally with a Decent Camera Edition". I got the 64 gigabyte version. I really hope they release one with more storage...it is going to be increasing more difficult to deal with this device if they don't lift this constraint.

I'll probably have to lean more on my Macbook Air...wait a second...is that their goal? I need the Mac to get unshackled from the iPad's limitations? I have to have two or more Apple devices to accomplish all my computing needs? Or am I just being paranoid?

I hope this tirade helps you clarify your purchasing decisions if you are in the market for a new tablet. My advice...I'm certain I will really like the new iPad and will write-up my experiences with the device soon. I will tell you, I have been using the latest generation of Android tablets...and stick to my original sentiment from last August...No idea why someone would buy any tablet other than an iPad!

Larry Pacey, award-winning designer tracks the latest news on consumer products, electronics, appliances, smart devices, networking and the gadget lifestyle.

For the latest news follow me on: ------------------------------ OR ------------------------------- Follow me on Twitter @WouldntMindThis Please comment below and share your thoughts. If you have any feedback or questions, feel free to email me at wouldntmind@gmail.com. Just my 2-cents, Larry

This morning Apple announced this summer's release of the Macintosh operating system...correction...they dropped the "Macintosh" in front of OS X! If you really look closely, this list of features are clearly inspired from efforts already well developed on the iOS based products like the iPhone and iPad.

Let's look at the new capabilities announced so far...

Messages
The messaging client from your iPhone or iPad is now available for your Macintosh desktop and laptops. It provides a convient way to send unlimited messages to Macs, iPads, iPhone and iPod Touch's. You messages are synced across devices allowing you to maintain your conversation across your personal devices. Start the chat on your Mac and keep on chatting with your iPhone as you walk out of the house.

Messages include support for photos, videos, file attachments, your contacts as well as your location. And if you really need to take this conversation to another level...you can launch directly into FaceTime and hold a video call. These messages are not limited to iMessage but also supports other chat systems including AIM, Yahoo!, Google Talk and Jabber accounts...this way you can bring in all your friends.

The good news is that you can download the beta of Messages for your Mac today!

Reminders
Another popular app I rely a great deal on my iPhone and iPad is Reminders. A very nice feature is the ability to not only the ability to maintain multiple lists of reminders/tasks but also the ability to set a due date OR even better an alert when you are at the location of the reminder. Say you want to be reminded to pick up some groceries. Make the list and put your grocery store location into the list. Then as you arrive, the list pops up on your iDevice! Very convenient...especially for an absent minded person like me ;-)

Now I can put items on my lists on all my Apple devices and they are synced together. Another great capability sewn together by Apple and their range of computing devices.

Notes
Okay...by now you are starting to see where this is going, right? Make sure all your iDevice apps are able to be synced with your Macintosh. And while that isn't earth-shattering, it does solve a technical divide for those of us with iOS products and Macintosh computers. So Notes is right there. Now you can put together notes with text, pictures and the like and sync it across your devices.

Some unique aspects on the Macintosh is the ability to "Share" your notes with friends via Messages or Mail. You can also pin your notes to your desktop for easy access. And of course, your notes are synced, so they reside on all your devices.

Notification Center
I know a lot of people that don't even know that their iOS device has this feature. When your phone or tablet is on, simply swipe your finger from the top of the screen downward and this info section will slide down and highlight all your notifications from multiple apps.

Well, now those notifications will be available on your Macintosh, you just swipe from the left. This will highlight conversations from the Messages application, your latest Mail, Calendar alerts and other application information.

Share Sheets
Safari and other applications will now feature a greater range of options to share information as you run into noteworthy items. The usual stuff is there like posting pix to Flickr, videos to Vimeo and Twitter integration. You see it...you can share it.

Twitter
Tight Twitter integration affords you the ability to Tweet from anywhere. And get notifications of tweets about you no matter what application you are currently running.

Game Center
Again, now that the Mac has its own App Store and games can be easily downloaded like an app on your iPhone. Now you can keep track of all your gaming activities and rankings via Apple's Game Center.

Not only does this track your progress but it also makes it easy to find friends and play multiplayer games.

AirPlay Mirroring
I don't know about you but I have frequently wanted an easy, wireless way to get my content on the Macintosh onto my TV. Well, Apple has made it a bit simpler if you are into the whole Apple eco-system of platforms. AirPlay is the ability to stream content from your computing devices to an AppleTV device hooked up to your television. Now the Macintosh joins the fray with AirPlay Mirroring support. Stream movies, presentations, surf the web and other applications via this new AirPlay functionality and a nice HD television.

Gatekeeper
A new service to help protect your computer from malware you may download to run on your computer. It seems to really monitor new installs and make sure you know where they are coming from. One solution the application provides is the ability to control/limit where you download an application from. You can set your computer to only accept programs from Apple's Mac App Store. Or you can extend it to support applications from Apple's "known developers". And lastly, you can download from anywhere "at your own risk"!

iCloud
Obviously a lot of the aforementioned functionality comes to your computer through Mountain Lion's tight integration with Apple's iCloud services. This cloud technology quietly syncs all your information into Apple's internet storage and transmits it to all your authorized devices so that you have one set of information...consistent across all your Apple products.

Conclusion
None of these new application features really standout as must-haves and it really seems to be a bit of a yawn. While I am an avid iPhone, iPad and Mac user...I have solutions for most of this functionality today.

First of all, I can download the beta of Messages. I rely on Evernote for syncing my notes across all my devices and the application is also available for PC and most web browsers. There is a Macintosh application called AirParrot that provides AirPlay functionality on the Macintosh. I do use Notes on my iPhone and iPad for their location based reminders and can live without Mac support or could move to one of the dozens of great reminder apps available for Mac, PC, browsers, Android and iOS devices.

The tighter integration of iCloud throughout the OS is probably the most promising functionality to be leveraged. More on this as I have time to work with the early developer release.


You can see Apple's video highlighting these new features below...

Larry Pacey, award-winning designer tracks the latest news on consumer products, electronics, appliances, smart devices, networking and the gadget lifestyle.

For the latest news follow me on: ------------------------------ OR ------------------------------- Follow me on Twitter @WouldntMindThis Please comment below and share your thoughts. If you have any feedback or questions, feel free to email me at wouldntmind@gmail.com. Just my 2-cents, Larry

My son is 9 years old and well beyond the age of needing a stroller but ever since we found out we were having our first baby I have really loved to follow the design efforts of strollers and other products designed around a child or parent's needs. Matter of fact, my first blog post even discussed strollers.

I guess they are a mode of transportation (I love bikes, cars and planes)...offer tons of options ranging from overall design choices, use of materials and a whole host of configurations and accessories. Lots of customizing and personalization can go into buying a stroller. There are strollers for the earliest of a child's years, multiple children setups, solutions for active parents with jogging strollers...the list goes on. And if you read my first piece, you know I drove my wife crazy with the endless comparing of different manufacturer's products. It took weeks to settle on our first stroller.

But here at the top of the year I thought I'd check out the latest and clearly the greatest offerings in the baby locomotion sector...

UPPAbaby Vista Stroller 2012

UPPAbaby is one of the brands I seem to favor. I like their products from a design, functionality and everyday usability standpoint. A great example of the UPPAbaby strollers is their Vista 2012. It is a great universal stroller system suitable for newborns to 6 months in the easily separable bassinet made with an organic cotton + soybean fiber lining...all the way into a seating configuration that supports children up to 50 lbs.

The seating positions are fully adjustable with one hand and include a fifth fully reclined position for your little one when they are sleeping. You can setup the seat for either a front or rear facing configuration.

With accessories the stroller can accomodate up to three small children! The VISTA is compatible with Graco (SnugRide, SafeSeat, SnugRide 30, SnugRide 32 and SnugRide 35), Peg Perego (Primo Viaggio and Primo Viaggio SIP), Chicco (Keyfit and Keyfit 30), and Maxi-Cosi (Mico, Maxi-Cosi Citi, Maxi-Cosi Cabrio and Maxi-Cosi CabrioFix) infant car seats via available adapter accessories.

The canopy height is fully adjustable, as is the 3 position handle length adjustments and you have tons of storage for all your babies needs.

Maneuvering this incredibly versatile stroller is like a dream with some of the widest rubber all-terrain tires available that makes pushing this stroller a pleasant experience. The only thing I want to point out is that this is a moderately heavy stroller. We are talking about a serious piece of equipment made out of aircraft aluminum that will take both hands to fold-up and get packed in or out the car.

The UPPAbaby Vista Stroller retails for $680 but I've seen it online in the mid to upper $400s with both bassinet and seating configuration included and this conversion between modes does not require any fabric switch-out. Standard accessories also include a sun, weather and new SPF 50 canopy extensions.

As I said, this product is fully loaded.

Britax B-Ready Stoller

The Britax B-Ready is another stroller with a monstrous amount of configuration options. While it retails for $500 (but it is regularly available online in the low $300s) which is a far bit less than the Vista mentioned above but you can upgrade the B-Ready with a lot of high quality accessories depending on your personal needs.

In the standard setup, you have seating for children 6 months up to 55 lbs. By adding an infant car seat or bassinet option, you are good from the moment you bring the baby home from the hospital.

As you can see from the chart to the right, B-Ready stroller's configuration options are quite impressive. Not only can you immediately leverage the Britax Be-Safe infant car seat (not shown on chart but available online for $140) and the higher-end Britax Chaperone infant car seat (typically available for around $200) with the included adapter but with the addition of the Infant Car Seat Adapter Frame accessory ($45), you can integrate a wide range of manufacturer's infant car seats. We are talking about seats like the the extremely popular Chicco Key Fit 30, Graco Snugride 32 and the Peg Perego Primo Viaggio attachment systems.

The top seat is reversible allowing for forward or rear facing and is adjustable to three levels of recline. You can also elevate the calf rest to make the baby more comfortable when asleep. I do wish that the seat reclined all the way flat like the Vista but overall this stroller will make sure your child rests comfortably.

As you probably noted from the configuration chart, the B-Ready is convertible into a double stroller were you needing to transport two infant car seats or a bassinet and second seat for the older child. The large canopy includes a sun visor, ventilation window and rain cover that is located in the under-seat storage.

Speaking of storage, this stroller has it in spades! Definitely feels like you should be able to bring everything you need and it is easy to access.

From a usability standpoint, the stroller is easy to maneuver, has a nice ride and the adjustable handle height comfortably accommodates the tallest of parents. Folding is straight forward and easy even with some accessories attached.



Unlike the first two strollers, the next stroller requires you to choose a single or double configuration out the door. That said, the Baby Jogger City Mini Single is a popular, award-winning design and worth a look at.

This is a very lightweight stroller, something you will appreciate the more to travel and have to transition from vehicle to stroller and back. It is bigger than the umbrella strollers but a good bit smaller than the traditional ones. Due to its overall size and clever design, this is one of the easiest strollers to fold I've seen. A single fluid motion packs up this stroller and you are good to go!

I would have to say that this stroller steers well enough and has a pretty good ride. While the City Mini looks like an all-terrain (jogger) model...it really is designed for the city and works best on paved surfaces.

Seating in older versions of the City Mini did not have much structure behind them for back support...more like a sling. But the 2011/2012 versions address this with a better padded seating backboard. The seat is also adjustable to roughly a 150 degree reclined position.

The sun canopy provides best in class protection while also offering great ventilation and windows. Handlebar height is not adjustable like the first two strollers but is curved and tall enough for most parents.

Like other products here, the Baby Jogger offers an excellent array of accessory options. You can get a full Baby Jogger Bassinet (retails for $250) for your newborn. Or the Baby Jogger Car Seat Adaptor allows you add a wide assortment of car seats to easily move your infant from car to stroller with ease. Infant car seats by Peg Perego Primo Viaggio, Britax, Maxi Cosi, most Graco and Evenflo. If you want to install the popular Chicco Key Fit 30 car seat to your City Mini, there is a different Baby Jogger "Chicco" Car Seat Adaptor. One caveat, you will see some lukewarm reviews regarding these adaptors, the truth is that installation is a bit of a trick (check online for better details than instruction manual)...but once installed properly everything is great. Note that the rain and wind canopy is sold separate as well. Boy these accessories can really add up!

I am always partial to small, lightweight and easy to use products and the Baby Jogger City Mini fits that bill perfectly.

Bugaboo Cameleon

If you want the most expensive for your little one, obviously the Bugaboo Cameleon ($900) is probably on your radar. But I just don't buy the hype. It does offer a wide range of accessories and configurations, has a hefty suspension system but it just isn't the most convenient to travel nor fold in day to day use. Don't get me wrong, it is a quality piece of hardware and definitely the Rolls Royce of the group. Just not my first pick.

BOB Revolution SE

If your fixated on a heavy-duty suspension for your stroller, check out the BOB Revolution SE Stroller (available online for roughly $360). With its large tires and suspension you have really take this one for a run.

Maclaren Techno XT Stroller

Before wrapping up this review, I can't go without talking about the Maclaren line of strollers. I've mentioned several times that lightweight, portable and easy to fold should be key contributors to your purchase decision. My own first stroller purchase while feature rich really suffered in the "mom getting kid in-n-out of the car" test. Our second stroller was the Maclaren and we went around the world several times with it.

The latest model, the Maclaren Techno XT stroller ($320) is an umbrella collapsable type of stroller that can go anywhere you go. It is not necessarily an "all-terrain" like many of the others mentioned above but when you are on the go in the city, in a parking lot trying to put it in your car and navigating the mall...this is the stroller for you.

Now the Maclaren is designed to support newborns until 55 lbs but does not support car seat adaptors, so I wouldn't recommend this as your first and only stroller. The convenience of moving a sleeping infant car seat from vehicle to stroller is hugely invaluable. But your newborn does have ample support in this stroller from day one should you choose...I'd just recommend 3 months and up.

Conclusion
Keep in mind that all the strollers we've discuss here feature the latest safety and creature comforts for your little one including 5-point harness seatbelt, padded seating, sun/wind/rain protection...the list goes on. They are all quality products that are well constructed and thoughtfully designed. There are more stroller manufacturers and models to look at but I focused on the higher-end offerings for this comparison.

You would be buying a great product if you chose any of these for your child but lets get a bit more specific...

UPPAbaby Vista is the complete package
The UPPAbaby Vista is a complete system out of the box and covers your baby from birth to 50 lbs. Considering everything you get, the online prices seem to really be a great value. At the end of the day this is a very good, universal stroller that covers a wide range of terrain and everyday use cases. The Britax B-Ready is a solid contender here and properly accessorized is quite comparable.

Baby Jogger City Mini is a great urban stroller
The Baby Jogger City Mini is a wonderful lightweight, multi-configuration stroller. It is great for city dwellers or people looking to transport a stroller in and out of their vehicle often. This product is one of the easiest to fold and get going I have seen.

Globetrotting babies (and their parents) will love the Maclaren Techno XT
If you are looking for a truly small and lightweight umbrella type stroller, the Maclaren Techno XT is best in class. Not only does this stroller go where you and baby go but it does so in style. Great looks, quality construction and great comfort really makes this product a standout.

A quality Infant Car Seat to keep baby asleep between car and stroller...
I've mentioned the Chicco Key Fit 30 (retails for $190 but online for mid-$100's) a couple times...I really like this infant car seat. Definitely one of the best car seat and base systems on the market today.

The Chicco KeyFit 30 System features a spring-assisted level foot, bubble level guides and center-pull LATCH adjustment to make sure everything is safe and secure during installation. The seats interior is lined with EPS foam for impact energy absorption. Also included is an infant insert for babies 4 to 11 lbs and without the insert this large seat accommodates babies to 30 lbs. The seat is quite popular due to its quality and safety standards which means all the manufacturers mentioned above offer adapters to this seat onto their strollers.

I hope this write-up helps you narrow down your new stroller shopping efforts. Comment below if you have any thoughts or suggestions on strollers and other children care products.

Larry Pacey, award-winning designer tracks the latest news on consumer products, electronics, appliances, smart devices, networking and the gadget lifestyle.

For the latest news follow me on: ------------------------------ OR ------------------------------- Follow me on Twitter @WouldntMindThis Please comment below and share your thoughts. If you have any feedback or questions, feel free to email me at wouldntmind@gmail.com. Just my 2-cents, Larry

This was a better year for commercials. Definitely some more clever and memorable ads. Here's my top 5 favorites, four of which ended up being car commercials.


Speaking of car commercials...while I was not a fan of the ad itself, the new Acura NSX looked amazing!




Matthew's Day Off - Honda CR-V (Just a great flashback...Bueller...Bueller)

We Go Rescue Dog - Bud Light (Here we go...great tag line for a great dog skit)


It's HALFTIME in America - Chrysler (Raw...Powerful...Classic Eastwood)


A Dream Car. For Real Life. - 2012 Kia Optima (Made me laugh...20 times)


Chevy Silverado "2012" (Nothing like a good 2012 Post-Apocalyptic piece to sell trucks)


The geek in me wants to also highlight these fan-boy/geek favorites...

Marvel - The Avengers Movie (The mash-up of all superhero mash-ups)


Phone Innovators - Best Buy (Giving recognition where recognition is due)


Samsung Mobile USA - Thing Called Love (Samsung VS Apple goes big)


Did you have a favorite? Would love to hear from you below...

Larry Pacey, award-winning designer tracks the latest news on consumer products, electronics, appliances, smart devices, networking and the gadget lifestyle.

For the latest news follow me on: ------------------------------ OR ------------------------------- Follow me on Twitter @WouldntMindThis Please comment below and share your thoughts. If you have any feedback or questions, feel free to email me at wouldntmind@gmail.com. Just my 2-cents, Larry

I love my iPad. I still have the original iPad. You can read my logic on not upgrading to the iPad 2 in my piece last August..."No idea why someone would buy any tablet other than an iPad". And that argument holds true for a couple more months until the iPad 3 is introduced. But that is not what we are going to talk about here.

While I love the iPad for surfing on the couch, in bed, on a plane, at the beach and the like. BUT I still need a full operating system, keyboard and the like most of the time. I am writing this very piece on my second "computing love"...the Macbook Air. I have the 13-inch version, there is also an 11-inch version that I was really tempted to get for its shear small size/portability but ultimately decided I would like a slightly larger and higher resolution screen to afford me the ability to have a couple windows open at the same time...the prime reason for a laptop versus a tablet for me. That ability to easily navigate multiple applications at the same time is invaluable. There are many occasions where I want two (or more) windows open and viewable side by side. On the 13 inch screen I find the Air's 1440 x 900 resolution to be a great alignment of size and pixel density. Sure more resolution would be nice but overall this is a great minimum spec. But lets back up a bit...

Apple Macbook Air

After I ordered this latest Air a few months ago, I really started to have buyers remorse. I was scared that while the reviews and my own experiences at the Apple store indicated that the new processing power in the Macbook Air would have enough juice for my somewhat hefty needs...I was still concerned that such a small computer would not meet my power needs. While waiting the couple weeks for my Air to arrive, I was looking at the other Macbook and even PC options with more horsepower/ memory and was starting to sweat my potentially bad decision. You see the Macbook Air is physically limited to 4 gigabytes of RAM and a dual-core processor instead of the quad-core found in most newer Macbook Pro's.

I would say I push a laptop pretty hard. I run quite a few programs concurrently. It is not unusual for me to have a few Microsoft Office applications (Word, Powerpoint and Excel) all going. Adobe's Photoshop and/or Apple's Aperture photo management software. And during a work day, I will have VMWare's Fusion virtualization application that allows me to run Microsoft Windows 7 and some work PC applications.

Well, I am happy to report as I earlier proclaimed my affection for this very sleek laptop which seems to handle everything I throw at it. It runs like a champ. I couldn't be happier. Slim, lightweight, instant on and all around great product to take it with me no matter where I go.

Others must be having similar experiences because nearly all the PC manufacturers at this year's Consumer Electronics Show (CES) were all about this form-factor being called an Ultrabook. Now Ultrabook is a branding initiative by Intel to generate a lot of buzz about a product offering that falls between a tablet and a laptop. Truth be told, the Macbook Air and these Ultrabooks for the most part are slimmed down laptops with a new generation of capabilities, power conserving mobile computing processors and for the most part fast, instant-on solid state hard drives (SSD). DVD drives and the like are getting replaced with SD memory slots and online connectivity.

There is also the belief that as software evolves we will begin to see a truly new category of hybrid computing devices. But for now, I am happy to get a powerful computing device into smaller configurations.

There is also a realm of tablets trying to transform themselves into near PC functionality when you attach a keyboard but currently their roots get in the way and you end up with just a tablet and a keyboard. The experience didn't evolve beyond the basics of the tablet's operating system whereas these Ultrabooks may provide PC consumers with the benefits similar to the Macbook Air...sharing and manipulating data across multiple applications.

Well I don't want to get too techie or geeky here so let's look at the products coming down the pipeline that show real promise to give you the Ultrabook portability from the PC/Intel teams...
This year HP really hit it out of the park with the design of the new Envy 14 Spectre. You have to see this thing to really appreciate the beauty of its design. It is a slick execution of glass inside and out that creates a very unique black glossy 13.3 inch chassis which HP indicated makes this premium Ultrabook more rugged and scratch resistant. Included is a 14 inch (1600 x 900 resolution) diagonal LED display, Intel i5 or i7 CPU and an upgrade option of an solid state disk (SSD) drive. All this does make the 20mm Envy a bit thicker than its Ultrabook peers and a fair bit heavier at just under 4 lbs. Form over function? You should also be warned that all this finery comes at a price...starting at $1,400! That is more than a similarly equipped Macbook Air which Apple tends to be the premium price leader.

On the opposite extreme, the Acer Aspire S5 is an amazingly shocking pieces of hardware that currently is one of if not the thinnest Ultrabook. Measuring only 15 mm at it's thickest point, weighing less than 3 pounds and featuring a 13.3 inch display is quite an overall feat of computing engineering. I guess squeezing a computer down to that size does cause some compromises along the way like a monitor resolution of only 1366 x 768 which is not anything to write home about nowadays even with a 13 inch display. That said, this very small computer does come with a nice complement of capabilities  including an SSD storage drive featuring an Instant On capability that takes the computer from sleep to on in 1.5 seconds and a host of connection options such as HDMI, USB 3.0 and a 10 Gbps Thunderbolt port. The packing is quite smart looking all wrapped up in an attractive onyx black magnesium-aluminum alloy cover. Look for Acer to start shipping the S5 in the spring.

Not to be left out of the mix, Dell's XPS 13 Ultrabook is a very nice piece of hardware measuring 18mm at its thickest point all the way down to only 6mm on one edge! The 13 inch diagonal display is compacted into this small 12" laptop. The Ultrabook has a nice quality feel to it consistent with most Dell computers and is made from carbon fiber and aluminum. These construction components help lighten the load and results in the XPS 13 weighing only 2.99 lbs. Consistent with other Dell computers, you will be able to configure yours with a range of options including memory, the choice of Intel's i5 or i7 processors and either a 128 or 256 gigabyte solid state hard drives. The 13.3 inch display is bright and clear but it too is limited to the 1366 x 768 resolution. Other than resolution and a limited array of connection ports, this is the most excited I have been about a Dell in quite some time and am looking forward to spending some more time with one as it comes to market next month.


Lenovo recently showed off some near-term consumer and business Ultrabooks but the most exciting product a very exciting Windows 8  laptop/tablet hybrid to be released later this year product. Not officially an Ultrabook, the Lenovo Yoga is a 17mm thin device that can be used as a laptop, tablet or flipped over as a kick-stand for watching movies. The display is a gorgeous 1600 x 900 LCD IPS with multitouch interface which is something not found on these other Ultrabooks. All this functionality for a retail price of $1,199 and available the latter part of this year.

Conclusion
All of these are very promising computing platforms for the person on the go but wants a full operating system PC. Each serves a wide-range of uses giving you a great selection of personalization options to compare to suit your specific needs. And based on my time with them over the three days of CES 2012, I believe they are all worthy new entrants into the marketplace.

If you need to pick-up a lightweight laptop today, I'd probably lean toward the Dell XPS 13 Ultrabook. It is a quality piece of equipment, offers a great range of configuration options in a very small and light form factor.

If you can wait until the latter part of the year, I am expecting a great deal of innovation to come forth as Windows 8 rolls out. I see Windows 8 as a game-changer and current PC designs will change a fair amount to take advantage of the new operating systems capabilities. Though Microsoft was incredibly quiet about a release date for Windows 8...the stars seem to be lining up for a late fall (October'ish) release.

I'll keep you posted as these and other mobile computing products come to market throughout the year.

Larry Pacey, award-winning designer tracks the latest news on consumer products, electronics, appliances, smart devices, networking and the gadget lifestyle.

For the latest news follow me on: ------------------------ OR ------------------------- Follow me on Twitter @WouldntMindThis Please comment below and share your thoughts. If you have any feedback or questions, feel free to email me at wouldntmind@gmail.com. Just my 2-cents, Larry

New Samsung Galaxy Note available on AT&T Wireless

Okay, first of all I have to say is I love the saying "shake a stick at" even though it sounds very violent. But I have to tell you, there are were so many tablets at the show I probably could have used a stick to ward off all the people hawking their tablet offerings. And many people showing a tablet really couldn't tell me why I should choose their tablet over an iPad on depth and breath of content, Kindle Fire on price, the range of form-factors by Samsung or the Asus Transformer Prime on pure horsepower and potentially it's docking keyboard.

I guess it is nice to have a range of competitive offerings to keep pricing in check but for the most part there were way too many companies with tablets. The good news I guess as some of these people fall out with each new wave of introductions, they will probably be selling their excess inventories at below cost and there could be an opportunity there?

But let's just dive into my primer on CES 2012 from the tablets front...

First of all, I am still sticking with my BUY AN IPAD position featured in my "No idea why someone would buy any tablet other than an iPad" article from back in August 2011 for those of you looking to get a great tablet for your couch or late-night web-surfing. My only caveat is that I am expecting a new version of the iPad to be released in the March/April 2012 timeframe and you should wait for that one if possible.

Fujitsu Arrows Tab gets credit for having one thing their competition didn't have. The tablet is waterproof! They even recommend for use in the kitchen or while in the bath tub! Okay, this is not a game-changer but at least they did something. Otherwise, it is a 10.1" dual-core Android, features a fingerprint sensor for easy unlocking and Dolby front-facing speakers. The CPU is definitely under-powered at 1ghz and the Android operating system seems to need more power than that for smooth, everyday operation.

The Lenovo IdeaTab S2 10" tablet was an attractive tablet offering that stood out from many of its competitors. It runs Google's latest edition of Android, has a very robust 1.5Ghz dual core processor and features the easiest to use keyboard dock solution we have seen, similar to the current marketing leading Asus Transformer Prime but seems to snap into place a bit smoother. The IdeaTab S2 is one of the lightest tablets on the market at 1.27 lbs and measures only 8.69mm thick. The keyboard doubles the devices battery life to nearly 20 hours as well as adds a USB and SD card reader port. Overall a nice tablet and offers a range of configurations including 3G and up to 64Gb of memory.

Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7 LTE is an update to one of the original Google Android tablets. The name helps you understand this is of the 7" variety that kinda falls between the larger 9"/10" category and smartphones with their 4"-ish sizes. The new Tab 7.7 has three things going for it. 1) The display is one of Samsung's Super AMOLEDs which are absolutely gorgeous to behold. Bright and vibrant is underselling how this screen glows. 2) It comes with Verizon's 4G LTE connectivity which is fast. 3) The 7" form-factor is more convient for hauling around if that is important to you. The size can also be a liability if you are looking for that extra real estate that the 10" tablets can provide.

Toshiba Excite X10 gets points for quickly changing direction on some key aspects of their tablet offerings from last year. I won't go into detail but last year's model was a beast. Way too thick and heavy. The Excite goes to the complete opposite end of the spectrum where Toshiba claims to have delivered the thinnest and lightest 10" tablet. After holding pretty much every version of tablet on the planet over the past week, I'm going to agree the 1.2 lbs., .3mm thick tablet is bordering on almost too thin. It almost disappear when held to the side. It is also amazing that such a device also includes some of the most physical port connectivity of any tablet on the market today including a USB, a micro-HDMI and a SD card slot! All in all...a very nice package. The tablet is currently sporting last year's Android operating system but Toshiba is indicating they may ship as is and offer an upgrade later. The technology inside the Excite X10 is only a dual-core but it can accomodate Google's Ice Cream Sandwich.

Asus Transformer Prime TF700 was probably the technological tablet marvel of the show. The new version features a 1920x1080 resolution Super IPS+ display versus the 1280x800 resolution of the one that just started shipping. The enhanced resolution is expected to provide for much cleaner and crisper text and smoother visuals overall. Obviously the new stunning display combined with already the leading tablet solution on the market including the Nvidia Tegra quad-core processor for lots of processing power makes for an extremely attractive offering later this year. The rear cover has been reworked to address issues with wi-fi and GPS that proved to be a problem with the original. We are assuming the new version keeps or improves upon the existing 8 mega-pixel rear-facing camera and understand the front facing cameras is updated to a 2 mp version. The Prime also features a MicroSD slot and Micro HDMI output. Other details are less clear but we'll keep our eyes peeled for information as we get closer to its launch. Rumor has it launching within the next 6 months. There is a far bit on consternation from those that already just bought a device and less than 6 months later it is being obsoleted by a much nicer version.

Samsung Galaxy Note was probably my favorite tablet-ish device at the show. I say "tablet-ish" because the Note is of a new 5.3 inch format. Noticeably bigger than a smartphone, can be held in one "big" hand and can be put in a coat pocket and the like. Another great addition is the included "S Pen" which looks like a traditional stylus except is offers 256 degrees of pressure sensitivity allowing for a whole new level of interaction with your device. Ink on your notes or drawings on the screen can change based on the pressure you apply. Push harder and get a bolder, thicker like for highlighting text or for marking up your documents. The device does run an older operating system (Gingerbread/Android 2.3) but all-in-all this was a really different product and nice based on my initial interactions with the device. The device also features the eye-candy HD Super AMOLED display technology from Samsung and AT&T's 4G LTE connectivity.

Apple's iPad 2 was not at the show in official form but it was VERY well represented by halls full of accessories across all different consumer electronic categories. If you walked around at CES you would understand why I am still strongly advocating the iPad. I am talking about Apple's AirPlay compatible devices like speakers, AV receivers, routers and televisions linked up to an AppleTV. Docks, stands, portable chargers with Apple's connector and don't get me started on cases! Now I am still advising that you wait until the rumored iPad 3 gets announced in the coming in roughly the next 60-90 days. But the iOS eco-system of peripherals and apps dwarves the competition and is the only viable solution in the tablet marketplace today unless you have a very specific application or use that one of the other tablet solutions provides. An example is the unique size form-factor of the Samsung Galaxy Note or if you want to take a shower with your Fujitsu Arrows Tab.

I should mention that there is a slew of new Ultrabook (very small and lightweight) laptops that are leveraging the innovations in the shrinking of electronic components for tablets and smartphones into a laptop form-factor. I will cover laptops and their innovations in another piece but there is this category that starts blurring the full PC operating system based solutions with these tablets while tablets move the other way with keyboards and the like. Both platforms have unique advantages and you'll need to evaluate based on your needs which route to go but it does get tricky here in the middle. I'll do a piece in the near future trying to describe this blurring in better detail.

The Microsoft 8 tablets will be coming out later this year and show a fair bit of promise. I'm holding my judgement until I can have some more time to play with one for a while. I am intrigued by the Metro interface and if Microsoft can get the hardware and application support, it might start bridging the gap from tablet to PC. More on this as they get closer to launch.

One last tablet just an FYI...

One-Tablet-Per-Child is the One-Laptop-Per-Child organization's latest effort to develop solutions for economically challenged countries. This solar powered tablet for children is in development but looks very promising for helping to get educational and informational solutions to the farthest reaches of the globe. While still in development, the goal of this extremely worthwhile product effort is to make each tablet for around $100. Quite a worthy cause and great concept!

For additional details, check out my 2012 Consumer Product Trends, some additional summaries like this one for other product categories at WouldntMind.com and specific key product details coming out of CES 2012 at WouldntMind.com News Page.

Larry Pacey, award-winning designer tracks the latest news on consumer products, electronics, appliances, smart devices, networking and the gadget lifestyle.

For the latest news follow me on: ------------------------------ OR ------------------------------- Follow me on Twitter @WouldntMindThis Please comment below and share your thoughts. If you have any feedback or questions, feel free to email me at wouldntmind@gmail.com. Just my 2-cents, Larry