The Modern Materialist

Browse by Tags

• Flip Mino Review + Video!

  I got a chance to do a hands on review for the new Flip Mino, a teeny tiny camcorder that won't break your budget. Check out the exclusive video review, and info on where to buy it, below: Read More... Posted Jun 23 2008, 04:30 PM by Alex Zalben with | with no comments Filed under: gadgets, tech, Cameras, hands on, video, flip mino, reviews

• Hands On: The New iMac

  Very, very rarely do I buy myself a nice big present, but coincidence at fate brought me to this point, and so I embraced it. Some background: I’ve had the same laptop since 2004 or so, which replaced the same version of laptop, which I had previously lost in the back of a cab (long, awful story). It was/is a PowerBook G4, and I’ve loved it for as long as I’ve known it. So much so, that it’s in my bio blurb, over to your right. More on this sad tale, and hands on pictures with the new iMac, after the jump...  Read More... Posted May 02 2008, 11:00 AM by Alex Zalben with | with 2 comment(s) Filed under: gadgets, Apple, tech, hands on

• Hands On: Samsung’s Still Cameras

  Wrapping up my look at Samsung’s Spring Fever Showcase, I got a chance to play with pretty much the entire line of Samsung still cameras. Ironically, I took photos of them with my Sony still camera. Boy, aren’t the pictures bad, Samsung? Wouldn’t they better if I took them with a Samsung camera? You know, for research purposes? Cough. In any case, there’s a ton of product available on the line, ranging from low end point and shoots, to higher end cameras with a ton of features, but a still relatively small form factor. Check out notes on two of 'em, after the jump... Read More... Posted Apr 25 2008, 04:30 PM by Alex Zalben with | with no comments Filed under: gadgets, Cameras, samsung, hands on

• Hands On: Samsung S3 Media Player

  I got a little less time to spend with the S3, which was okay, because it is just okay. The S3 is Samsung’s little iPod killer, except it suffers from the same problems most potential iPod killers do: because Apple’s device is so prevalent in the market, they must design something that in no way seems like they’re ripping off Apple. However, and not to sound like a Jobs Fanboy, but I will: Apple pretty much perfected the design of a music player. They did, it’s true, and that’s why the iPod is so successful. The iPod is instantly intuitive to use; the S3 is not. I don't totally hate on the S3, after the jump...  Read More... Posted Apr 25 2008, 03:00 PM by Alex Zalben with | with 2 comment(s) Filed under: gadgets, Music, samsung, hands on

• Hands On: Samsung’s Camcorders

  As mentioned earlier, last night I attended Samsung’s Spring Fever Showcase, and checked out a bunch of their upcoming goods and services. What I neglected to mention was that I was there because the lovely and talented Stephanie Auteri couldn’t make it. See? Bloggaz be lookin’ out for each otha. Anywho, one of the highlights for me was checking out Samsung’s line of consumer camcorders. It’s not a large line, and admittedly so; you can see all of them up top. Basically, there’s one Mini-DV cam, one DVD cam, and the rest save to SD cards. Which makes a lot of sense. Physical media isn’t very long for this world, and SD cards are pretty much the way to go. They don’t take up as much battery as a hard drive, and are more easily translatable to other places of input. So how were the cameras? Find out, after the jump... Read More... Posted Apr 25 2008, 01:30 PM by Alex Zalben with | with no comments Filed under: Cameras, samsung, hands on

• Hands On: Samsung’s 3-D TV

  Last night was Samsung’s Spring Fever Showcase, showing off all the products the electronics giant will be hitting the public with in the next few months. Though they plied me with tiny crab cakes, and all the booze I could drink, I stayed on task, and throughout the rest of the day, will give you my impressions of a few of those products. I want to mention right off though, that the parting gift from this electronics showcase was a regular note-pad. I mean, a really nice notepad, but here I am, taking pictures with my Sony camera, and no-one came up to me and said, “Hey, it looks like your camera is awful. Why don’t you have one of these Samsung cameras, free of charge?” I guess looking doe eyed and sad in the corner doesn’t get you free gadgets? I dunknow, I’m new at this. Anyway, a little while ago, I posted about Samsung’s 3-D TV. Well, now I’ve got to play around with it, and I can say that it is, without a doubt, pretty darn cool. Impressions, and more info, after the jump...  Read More... Posted Apr 25 2008, 12:00 PM by Alex Zalben with | with no comments Filed under: gadgets, video games, Television, Movies, samsung, hands on