I've always personally considered superzooms a better option for amateur hobby photographers than D-SLRs, primarily because you get so much more right out of the box. If you still feel limited, there are quite a number of add-ons you can use. Now with the superzoom cameras breaking the 12x optical zoom barrier and offering insane 15-18x optical zoom levels, the deal has gotten a lot more attractive.

The Panasonic FZ18 is a bit smaller than the comparative superzooms available today and is not too heavy at 407g. The handgrip is perfectly sized for the camera, which makes it easy to grab and maneuver the camera the way you see fit.

The 2.5 inch LCD display unfortunately doesn't tilt or swivel. I feel that for a camera of this caliber, not having a maneuverable screen can be a handicap, especially considering that the biggest consumers of superzoom cameras are the higher-end experimental sort. Panasonic's done a good job of it in the FZ50, but I'd really like to see it in more of their superzooms. That said, the screen works wonderfully in all kinds of lighting conditions.

The 18x optical zoom is obviously the biggest selling point of the camera, but it's also the easiest thing that can go wrong if not implemented well. Many manufacturers put high zoom lenses that are painful to handle because of the ridiculously bad image stabilization. The FZ18 doesn't fall in that category. I found the FZ18 zoom very easy to handle thanks to Panasonic's excellent optical image stabilization. Even in indoor lighting, I got quite a few perfectly sharp and stable shots at full 18x zoom, which I find commendable.

The 8.1 megapixel resolution may not sound very exciting, but considering that there's also the 18x zoom and an OIS to handle, extra processing time for a higher resolution image would probably take a toll on the camera's performance. Still, 8.1 megapixel is more than enough for an A3 size print, so this isn't really a drawback.

Just as in the other Panasonic cameras we recently reviewed, the FZ18 boasts an iAuto (intelligent auto) mode that works extremely well during those times when you're too lazy (or in a hurry) to set the camera to the right mode yourself. The results are pretty outstanding, and by the looks of it, scene modes could soon be a thing of the past.

This was mainly noticeable in landscape shots, where you tend to capture a lot of fine details. Still, this is not a fatal flaw in any way, and I'd say that the detail levels are still pretty good (as the image below can tell you), but perfectionist photographers may need to be warned.

Colors were very well reproduced by the FZ18. There were no issues with reds and greens, and as you can see in the picture below the minute color shifts were also well captured.

Low-light performance was great! As I mentioned earlier, it was possible to take a sharp picture at full 18x optical zoom without keeping the camera on a firm base, which says a lot.

Even the night shots gave excellent details with minimal noise, which is always well-appreciated in consumer cameras.

Here's the formula for the gadget of the year: a device that delivers Internet video on the TV. It sounds simple, but no one has really cracked this market, which should be huge.

Apple Inc., Sony Corp., Netgear Inc., Amazon.com Inc. and Netflix Inc. are some of the big tech names angling in on it.

Not to be outdone, Microsoft Corp. has supplied hardware partners like Cisco Systems Inc. and D-Link Corp. with updated software and blueprints for the Extender for Windows Media Center, a box you put in your entertainment center and connect to your TV.

You control the extender with a remote, gaining access not only to the movies, music and photos stored on the PC, but also some free web videos and subscription movie services.

The first generation of extenders came out in 2005 for use with Windows XP, causing little excitement. The updated boxes, which work only with Windows Vista, started coming out in January.

Unfortunately, it's likely this generation of extenders will be met with as little enthusiasm as the first one. Maybe some other company, like Apple, will be the one to really spark people's interest in this category.

The main flaw is Microsoft's approach: it makes the software, and lets others build the hardware and provide services like web video. It's nice of Microsoft to let others get a piece of the action, but it makes for a poorly integrated mess of a system. You can't afford that in this category, which consumers are only just figuring out.

And speaking of figuring things out, Apple didn't exactly help by naming its competing extender, which came out last year, 'Apple TV'. But that device is dead easy to use, because Apple makes the software and the hardware. It sells the movies that play on it.

The remotes for these devices are perhaps the best illustration of their differences. Apple TV's remote has six buttons. The DMA 2200's remote has 48, many of them with cryptic little symbols. There's a large numeric keypad, while the oft-used Back button is tiny.

Apple TV lets you watch iTunes movies and YouTube videos. The Windows extender shows some clips selected by Microsoft, and works with Web movie rental services like Vongo, each of which has its own, sometimes confusing interface.

The funny thing is that Microsoft does have its own online video rental service that's easy to use and works well, but it's only for the Xbox360 game console.

The 360 also can do everything an extender can, and it's only a little more expensive, so it looks like a good value. But the console's cooling fans sound like a miniature vacuum cleaner, so it's understandable if people who are not gamers balk at it.

Unlike most Xbox 360 models and the Apple TV, the extenders don't have their own hard drives – all the content is streamed from the PC the moment before it's shown on the TV set. That means the speed of the connection is critical.

The extender can connect to a router via Wi-Fi or wired Ethernet, but the connection between the router and the PC is equally important.

It's high time companies shed their largely egotistic attitude, in the name of competition, which I feel has ceased to make any sense at all. What’s all this proprietary bull about? How about getting together and deciding what’s good and what’s not, arriving at a consensus for a standard, and sticking to it? What’s happening instead is that everyone wants to be exclusive.

There are very few PMPs in the market that allow drag-and-drop for videos. In all probability you will end up hating the conversion software bundled with the player. Apple’s iTunes is a classic example. But all’s not lost yet... let's look at some players that still believe in the good old drag-and-drop feature.

Cowon
Cowon has perhaps been a victim of its own wait-and-watch policy. Elsewhere it may have made a mark, but in India the company is still testing the waters. No matter what the company spokespersons say to try and convince us, we know Cowon has a lot of ground to cover.

All video players from Cowon support drag-and-drop for all content types, so you can pretty much pick whatever you like from the assembly line. That leaves you with the leisure to make some important choices... such as screen size, playback features etc.

There’s the flash-based D2, and the big-screen A2 that obviously has more up its sleeve. While the D2 comes with a 2.5 inch, 24-bit QVGA (320x240) TFT LCD touchscreen, the A2 is equipped with a 4-inch screen (480x272 pixels) that's a 16:9 wide TFT LCD.

I recently stumbled across , chats for moms a site that describes itself as "Smart solutions for busy moms." While there I noticed that they were offering parents a free sneak peek at word world, a new show that will be premiering on PBS kids on September 3. (If you follow the above link to Word World, you can download your own sneak peek.) I signed up and recently received in the mail a DVD containing a 2-minute introduction to Word World as well as 2 11-minute episodes of the show.

Word World is a cute and unique concept that will familiarize your child with letters and words. The main characters - pig, sheep, bear, frog, duck, and ant - are all created from the letters in their name. They are really cute! Many items in the show are created out of letters - a hay stack is formed out of the word "hay"; a barn is formed from "barn"; and even a water splash spells the word "splash." Individual letters are also predominant in the program, and each episode contains at least one instance where the characters join letters to create a word, which then becomes whatever that word is - b.o.x. joined to form a box.

All of my girls loved the pilot DVD. They watched the entire DVD several times, always clamoring to watch it again each time it ended. As I sit here typing this post, my oldest daughter (Pookie Bear) climbed up in my lap and named the individual letters in the dog and house pictured above. I have not worked with her on any letters except the ones in her name, and these are not all in her name. That's a great tribute to this show!

GPS, or Global Positioning System, is a technology that is capable of pinpointing your exact location anywhere on the planet. Of course, it's not always that simple and there's more to it than being a way for guys to avoid asking for directions. We’re sure most of you techies must be well-versed with GPS since it’s become increasingly popular in India, but we thought it wouldn't be out of place to offer some basic information about it and what it can (or can't) do for you.

Integration of GPS with mobile phones didn't take long. It's still nascent in India, but quickly making progress. Maps offered have to be approved by the Government of India, and even then there's no guarantee that it will work, given the enthusiasm with which we keeping digging up our streets... think there's oil beneath, or gold?

How it Works
GPS works on satellite imaging, so you will need to be out in the open (it won’t work indoors). GPS is operated by the US Department of Defense, but other countries are beginning to build their own infrastructure. GPS is especially useful in the aviation and automotive industry, but we’re concerned with handheld GPS systems available in mobile phones such as asusP535 nokia 66and 6120

If you're the outdoorsy sort who drives around, or do a lot of traveling on the job, it’s good to know where you are and what you’re getting into right? The Nokia Navigator, for instance, provides that can be downloaded before you embark on your tour. Obviously, this will be less sophisticated than the GPS technology used by fleet management companies, but then it comes in a smaller package and you don’t need an additional device.

Finding Your Way
You can do a lot with a mobile handset loaded with an inbuilt GPS system. For starters, you can simply plot a route from your location to any place on the map. The drawback is that the place you wish to visit should be on the map as a POI (Point of Interest), or be a location you have saved previously.

Of course, GPS systems need to be fleshed out before use, and for basic navigation purposes your mobile GPS can only get your so far. The system takes no cognizance of roads in repair, so what may seem like a perfectly normal routing could go awry.

To top it all, we have unorganized and incoherent naming standards, with most roads not having proper names. For example, if you’re a Mumbaikar you’ll probably know where Hill Road in Bandra is, but on a GPS map you may not find it all. Besides, there’s more than one way you can reach your destination from anywhere in a city.

There are very few PMPs in the market that allow drag-and-drop for videos. In all probability you will end up hating the conversion software bundled with the player. Apple’s iTunes is a classic example. But all’s not lost yet... let's look at some players that still believe in the good old drag-and-drop feature.

Cowon
Cowon has perhaps been a victim of its own wait-and-watch policy. Elsewhere it may have made a mark, but in India the company is still testing the waters. No matter what the company spokespersons say to try and convince us, we know Cowon has a lot of ground to cover.

All video players from Cowon support drag-and-drop for all content types, so you can pretty much pick whatever you like from the assembly line. That leaves you with the leisure to make some important choices... such as screen size, playback features etc.

There’s the flash-based D2, and the big-screen A2 that obviously has more up its sleeve. While the D2 comes with a 2.5 inch, 24-bit QVGA (320x240) TFT LCD touchscreen, the A2 is equipped with a 4-inch screen (480x272 pixels) that's a 16:9 wide TFT LCD.

Many people said that hair is the crowd of our head.it is no wonder we always tries to treat our hair as well as possible. Some people undergo hair loss and this loss can occur gradually or in a short time. Bad hair condition will really make us feel uncomfortable. There is a wide variety of hair treatments.Today,hair transplants is one of the most popular surgical ways to restore hair. The process of hair transplant involves a surgeon taking a required quantity of hair from the areas of the head, ex. back and side, which are not prone to balding, and implant them on the area of the head where it needs hair restoration. If you are beginning to experience baldness on the crown dense cover with healthy hair at the sides and back of the head, you are probably suitable for a hair transplant surgery. Hair transplant, in the region front of the skull usually the best results. However, a procedure for hair transplantation carried out, can also be used in any other area in your head, if you have any bats pavement. It is better that accurate information about the procedures for the office of the hair in front of the plans, in which an operation. Only after reading about all the information you need to understand and appreciate the importance of the hair restoration surgery. The information also helps you to decide whether you are the right candidate for the surgery by the hair.

From wall systems to PC speakers, we've come a long way over the past decade. We may take this progress for granted, but the fact is we owe a lot to technowizards who helped make the transition. The latest device to undergo upgrades is the portable speaker! It's not radically new, perhaps, but the advances are still encouraging.

Portable speakers need to be small and light enough to carry around, and powerful enough to be able to sustain the mood in a hotel room. I have seen some devices worth mentioning, but the one I'm talking about marks a comfortable equilibrium. Yes, the Stripy Music Studio speakers can be your perfect travel companion – they are small, stylish (very important) and offer great sound. They are ideal for your office computer too.

The speakers comprise two satellites and a volume hub. The satellites incorporate a cool swivel design that allows you to focus sound in any direction. Or you can just keep them upright. I like the compact form factor, but I don't like the fact that they can't be charged for remote playback. No electricity, no music. This sucks, so kindly look elsewhere if you plan to go camping.

Each satellite has room at the bottom to store the cables running out of them. Talking of cables, you may constantly run the risk of entangled wires. All the connections are hosted on the volume hub; three of them actually. This includes inputs from each speakers, and one DC slot for the power.

I like the cool purple ring that illuminates when the speakers are powered on. All you need to do is press and hold down the white dome on the volume hub until it turns purple. This also happens to be the volume knob: press it once and it will turn blue, and you can control the bass level. Green means treble.

I just can’t wait anymore. As promised last week, I'm raring to put some BD players through their paces. For once, companies have been unusually cooperative and sent us their products pretty quickly; though with strict instructions. We know these devices are valuable, but let’s see just how good the new (in Indian terms) technology actually is. At Tech2.0 it’s first-come first-reviewed, so Sony takes pole position as it was the first to supply us with its BD players: the BDP-S1E and the BDP-S300.

BDP-S1E
This is Sony's flagship product currently available in India. A good-looking, sturdy player, it has an aluminum colored faux finished chassis, with a sleek front panel comprising two horizontal strips: a thin glossy black one on the top, and a broader electric blue strip making up the lower part.

The tray is located in the center of the black strip, with tiny round black buttons lined up horizontally on the right end. The top left corner of the front panel sports a futuristic looking power on/off button, while the symmetrically equal left corner has the eject button. The ubiquitous Sony logo is in the centre of the blue strip. Overall it looks very classy, even if the electric blue can seem a bit too bright for some. If your room has a wood-oriented tone and your sound system is retro-looking, the player may not match the decor.

BDP-S300
This one looks a little different from its bigger, more expensive brother. It's slimmer, and while the façade still consists of a dual tone scheme, this time the blue strip is darker, and looks better in my opinion.

BDP-S300

The top edge slopes down slightly, and consists of two semicircular black buttons on the extreme edges, as in the S1E. The chassis is black, with a mild metallic luster – this again is a more aesthetic option to the aluminum.

While most audiophiles and audiosnobs have heard of (or used) Sennheiser products, many still wonder if the brand can be the choice of the masses. In a previous interaction with the company, we found Sennheiser reluctant to be included in the budget class – and this is with reference not to affordability, but quality.

However, over time the company has come out with newer products, and prices are on a downward spiral. You may recall that four months ago we had covered four earphones from Sennheiser in one review. It’s now time to check out another batch (of three products, this time). So here are some cheap – sorry, affordable – options from Sennheiser.

I decided to start with this product as it’s my favorite. It claims to provide bass-driven stereo sound, and I think it’s true – most of the lows were well represented, if you can pardon the missing punch. The output is clear, but much of the warmth that we discerned in the OMX series is sadly missing.