Walmart appears to be jump starting the holiday season with a pretty good deal on a Compaq CQ50-139WM laptop for only $298. As is typical with Walmart this seems to be configured specifically for Walmart. The laptop has a w/ Intel Celeron Processor 575, 160G drive, 2G of ram and Vista Home Basic.
If you’re in the market for a compact digital camera take a close look at the Casio EX-Z77. For many people Casio isn’t the first name they think of when it comes to digital cameras. Many people don’t realize that many cameras in this price range share the same sensor made by Sony. For the most part differences in picture quality are negligible.
What sets the Casio apart from other cameras in this price range is the amazing 2.6 inch LCD screen. Casio makes some of the best screens in the business. The screen is easy to see even in bright outdoor sunlight.
Another feature that sets this camera aaprt for it’s competitors is the quality of the movies it takes. The movies are encoded in the H.264 format as opposed to motion Jpeg that is found on other cameras. What this means is that the Casio can create much better quality movies in a smaller files size. The built in microphone does pick up wind noise outdoors.
Everyone that sees this camera loves it. It is small and light weight. It can easily fit into pockets on jeans and if you place it in a shirt pocket you barely know it is there. It’s as easy to carry as a small clamshell style cell phone.
This is a perfect camera for teenagers. It comes in cool colors, is rugged and is priced well below $200 at many online retailers.
Awesome.
If there is any activity which puts a sneaker to the test it’s computer programming and blogging. My current pair of Avia programming sneakers have seen better days. There is noticeable wear on the heel and I’m a little concerned the arch support is not up to factory specs.
Somewhere deep in my mind I always felt Nike sneakers would be a better choice. Maybe I’m just a slave to advertising. I tried the Nike Air Max. I forgot to bring my laptop to the store to really give the Nikes a thorough test. I did simulate the best I could the various positions I undergo while blogging and coding. It seem to me that Nikes are a little narrow and have extra arch support that I find a little uncomfortable. I also tried the latest offerings from Reebok and Asics.
Ultimately I decided to just resort to my Avia 175’s. I was sly enough to buy two pairs just in case of such an emergency.
The Avia’s offer the necessary comfort and arch support that is so crucial for programming. They also perform quite well for blogging. The lateral support is excellent. I have not found any need to use inserts like the Dr. Scholl massaging gel insoles. To be honest I am already quite “gellin” without them.
