These stunning 121 megapixel photos of the earth are from the Russian satellite Elektro-L. The Russian satellite was launched back in January 2011, and has took the photos with a single shot, opposed to what any previous satellites could provide. Elektro-L is able to provide single shot photos unlike NASA’s earth images, which provides layered images.

Russian satellite Elektro-L Pictures

This news comes shortly after the new Nokia PureView 41 megapixel phone was announced. – Another story for big advancements in digital camera technology.

Elektro-L travels the same speed as the earth in a fixed position, and is over 22,000 miles above earth. The infrared technology used has highlighted areas of vegetation, which appear as orange.

The below video shows the earth going through a day-night cycle from the Elektro-L satellite.

You can download the full ulta-def sized image here: here (100+ megabytes).

Power to the people – that’s the central idea behind TDK’s 3-Speaker Boombox.  We know what the people want, they say.  They want loudness, and they want to be able to take the loudness wherever they go, to spread the gospel of the decibel far and wide.  And on that day, verily, the corporate office said, “Let there be sound.”  And it was good.  (Mostly.)

To give credit where it’s due, with the Boombox, TDK has created a speaker system that marries form and function well.  The sleek lines and sparse ornamentation work practically wherever you decide to hook it up; the set just plain looks cool.  A couple of the accoutrements are unnecessary – I certainly can do without a dedicated LED readout that alternates between the company’s logo and corny motto.  For the most part, though, the design is a win.  You won’t be ashamed to plug your iPod into it.

On the plus side, this speaker system can best be described with one word: LOUD.  Even at moderate volume levels, the bass on this unit really thumps, and when you turn it up to 11 – oh, yeah, the volume knob actually does have an “11” as its highest setting.  The “goes to 11” joke has probably become a bit dated, along with references to Ghostbusters and the first two Terminator films, but the TDK Boombox earns the right to reiterate solely because of the sheer amount of power these three speakers put out.  It’s almost like they have actually invented a new level of loudness just to make the gag fit.  These 5.5 inch drivers and built-in sub simply do not fool around.  What’s probably more important than just the volume, though, is the sound quality, and it’s also at the upper end of the spectrum where this system really shines.  Turning it all the way up produces no discernible distortion or warping; at the highest possible setting, you might have to worry about things falling off shelves (not really a joke, that!) but you won’t have to worry about the output getting scratchy or raw.  Every bass kick and treble punch remains crisp and delightful, provided your eardrums can endure through the first couple of tracks.  It’s really quite remarkable.

The list of built-in features is comprehensive, with a USB connector for iPods (no actual dock, but a 30-pin connector cable does the job acceptably) or external hard drives.  When you connect a storage device, one of the three front-panel LCDs lights up with track info and playback controls.  3.5mm and RCA audio inputs, as well as a built-in AM/FM tuner with quite good antenna-less receptions, round out the feature set.  One of Boombox’s coolest capabilities is its ability to be used as a standard amplifier for electronic instruments; for budding musicians or garage bands, this might soften the blow from the unit’s $500 price tag.  As has been mentioned to death already, the volume available means that using the Boombox in this fashion will hardly disappoint.

There are, unfortunately, a few negatives to go along with the generally positive experience of hooking up this system.  TDK isn’t particularly famous for high-quality portable systems, and a by and large the disappointments seem like rookie mistakes, hopefully things that will be learned from and corrected in future systems.   The biggest gaffe is the potential dealbeaker, so let’s get that out of the way.   That wonderful crisp fidelity at super-high volumes doesn’t persist in the medium range; there is inconsistent, but definitely present, distortion audible when songs are played from connected digital devices.  Numerous theories abound as to why this is the case, the most likely-seeming of which is a flaw in the unit’s digital sub-processor.  The low range of the volume knob somewhat abruptly terminates into a “mute” setting, making it seem like they never expected anyone to play music at a reasonable volume on this thing at all.  Parking lots, abandoned shopping malls, Occupy protests, yes – living rooms or quiet candlelight dinners, get outta here. But that brings into focus another rather lopsided consideration concerning the Boombox’s portability – it weights 26 pounds.  That’s not light!  You’re not going to be Radio Raheeming this thing down the block  (hey, I can make dated film references too) unless you’ve been seriously abusing anabolic steroids.  As before, if you’re throwing a block party and just need to take it from point A to point B, that’s one thing, but you’re probably not going to haul this thing down to the park every day to aid in your outdoor calisthenics (although you could run around the whole park and easily hear every note of whatever song gets your blood flowing).

The power requirements for this thing are no joke either.  You’re better off running an extension cord from an outside breaker or indoor outlet than coughing up the dough for the 12 – yes, twelve, as in one dozen – D-cell batteries that this monster consumes in lieu of an electrical hookup.

Most of the other minuses are relatively minor in comparison, although a smart and responsive company (hint hint) would put in the small amount of time and effort needed to fix them.  While the on-screen playback controls for external storage devices work just fine, they aren’t available for connected iPods, and without a dock, remote, or Bluetooth, this forces iPod users to use the buttons on the player to control songs.  Counter-intuitively, while the Boombox automatically powers itself down after a few minutes of not receiving data, it won’t wake up when you start playing tunes again; for example, pausing playback on the iPod will cause the Boombox to eventually go into sleep mode, but before hitting “play” again, you’ve got to remember to power up the speakers first.  This inconsistent dependence on the connected device for controlling playback is a little irritating in practice.

If they could somehow fix the distortion issue, despite its other flaws, the Boombox would get an uninhibited endorsement.  As it is, anybody who wants something kind-of portable and especially compact, who doesn’t happen to have any desires on using their ears into their mid-30s – you could do a lot worse.  This device will surely kick your house party up at least a couple of notches.  Just don’t be surprised if there’s an eviction notice for disobedience of noise ordinances posted to your door the next morning.

Rating: 7 / 10

A number of TomTom sat-nav users have faced a malfunction on their sat-nav device. TomTom has said the malfunction was caused by a ‘leap year bug’, which caused issues with certain TomTom model sat-navs. The error appears to be a worldwide issue, and isn’t country specific. The malfunction resulted in the device showing a grey screen with a GPS signal error. It appears the error began on the 31st March.

TomTom are currently working on a fix. TomTom have recommended that anyone affected should try resetting the device by pressing the on/off button for 20+ seconds; this might offer a temp fix.

Let’s be up-front: the main decision you’ll have to make regarding this player is whether, at this stage, you even care about 3D Blu-Ray.  The BD-C6900 is a top-of-the-line player, no doubt, but so is the 6500 – the only real differences between the two are 3D Blu-Ray support and a $150 disparity in price.  Keep in mind that just a 3D player isn’t enough; you’ll also need an HDTV and a pair of 3D glasses, neither of which are inexpensive, to use a 3D Blu-Ray disc.  Also worth considering is the fact that there aren’t a whole lot of 3D Blu-Ray titles available right now.  Sure, you don’t want to go buying a new media player every 6 months, and it makes sense to invest in something you think you’ll use.  However, prudence might caution you to consider that, by the time you can actually buy more than a handful of 3D Blu-Ray discs, this player, or one very much like it, may have dropped significantly in price, and in the interim you’ll have missed nothing (except the ability to boast about your ability to watch nonexistent 3D Blu-Ray movies).  Unless , of course, you’re one of those habitual early adopters that buys first-generation everything, regardless of how expensive and potentially buggy it turns out to be when compared to the refined and improved versions that inevitably follow in a matter of months.  In that case, don’t fight your disease.  Appease yourself in the short term, and in the long-run, seek professional help.

Provided you do decide you need 3D Blu-Ray now now now, you’ll certainly be getting what you pay for here, as there is hardly a better or more feature-packed device on the market.  The BD-C6900′s image quality is exquisite in 2D as well as 3D, and it supports video from a panoply of sources.  Besides normal Blu-Ray and DVD discs, you can stream media from any DNLA-compliant device; the player supports a constellation of common and obscure formats, with perennial favorites DivX and MKV topping the list.   You can also stream content from various internet sources like YouTube, Netflix, Vudu, Pandora, Flickr, and Picasa – and what’s more, the 1GB of onboard storage gives you the ability to save a relatively prodigious amount of downloaded content.  Built-in wi-fi (802.11N) support is an additional and quite welcome perk, as are the 7.1 analog outputs on the back for your primo sound system.  (Hey, if you’re going to blow $350 on a Blu-Ray player, I assume you’re not hooking it up to your TV’s built-in speakers.)

Design-wise, the BD-C6900 also scores high marks.  It’s generally sleek, anodized black form looks smart and occupies a respectably small space on your entertainment center shelf or A/V rack.  There’s an illuminated window on top that lets you look down on the spinning disc as it plays – kind of cute, but they were also thoughtful enough to let you turn that little light off after you inevitably stop finding it so.  The only thing I’m not a fan of is the placement of the buttons on the top of the player itself, which is inconvenient.  The remote has gotten a redesign since the last generation of Samsung players; the number pad is kind of unnecessarily large, but the layout is generally well-organized, and the remote can control your TV as well.  Also sporting a new design is the set of onscreen menus, which put the player’s streaming content options front and center.  The menus aren’t customizable, but they make getting to most of the useful and frequently visited links quick.  Getting around Samsung’s burgeoning Apps/”Internet@TV” offerings are also clear and easy.  Navigating USB drives and external storage isn’t exactly as simple, but still poses no real trouble.There is, unfortunately, an additional factor to be considered when purchasing Samsung media players these days, which is the rather disturbingly frequent reliability problems reported on sites like CNET and Amazon.  While they by and large get rave reviews from the editors of tech sites, and most professional review outfits take the time to give the device in question a thorough once-over, testing only lasts a matter of days, and doesn’t screen for problems of durability or long-term integrity.  The BD-C6900 hasn’t gotten so many specific complaints as of yet, but if the trend continues from last year, we may well hear a lot of wailing after a few months of ownership and frequent use.  Basically, if you’re willing to risk the potential pitfalls of a new technology coming from a possibly buggy line – open up your wallet, put on your 3D glasses, and, if luck is with you, prepare to be a very happy customer.

Rating: 8 / 10

Some people enjoy building computers from the ground up, assembling the box of their dreams from preciously sourced individual components.  Many more just need to get their email and finish their monthly reports while keeping half an eye on their kids.  Some folks love to tinker around in the guts of their cars; many more just need to get to work.  Home theater is no different.  The trick with buying a black-box/all-in-one solution is to not accidentally buy a piece of junk marketed to rich idiots who don’t know any better.    If you don’t want to DIY, you also definitely don’t want to TYMA (throw your money away).

It is true that you pay a price for convenience; the HT-C5530 just minimizes that price.  It isn’t the best home media system ever conceived, and you could certainly do better by assembling your own 5.1 system from separate components.  However, you would also do a lot more work, potentially make some expensive mistakes, and almost certainly pay more than the reasonable $500 price tag on this one-box solution.  There are some drawbacks, but none of them are fatal.  If you don’t have the time or inclination to design and assemble your own piecemeal home theater system, and want something hassle-free that Just Works, Samsung has a good reputation for peddling full-featured consumer electronics that work properly and don’t need a lot of babysitting -  a reputation that is pretty well borne out with this system.

The HT-C5530 consists of a Blu-Ray player, two 130cm tallboy forward speakers, two 14cm bookshelf speakers for the rear audio component, a passive subwoofer, and a thin, wide center speaker that should fit comfortably on most AV racks.  The system boasts a bevy of connectors – HDMI in and out, as well as component & s-video outs, and RCA-style aux inputs for a second audio device.  An iPhone/iPod dock is thoughtfully bundled with the unit, and  there are two USB ports (one on the back, and one in front normally covered by a hinged flap) which can be used to connect external storage up to 160GB, or the Samsung WLAN dongle if you want wireless access to your home network – that will set you back an additional $70 or so, as it’s not included.  However, if you don’t mind running a cable, there’s a built-in ethernet port, and this system does particularly shine when connected to a network.  You can stream music, photos, and video from networked devices and PCs using Allshare or download and stream via BD live; hooking up to the net also allows access to Samsung Internet TV, which has apps for most many recognizable sites.

Sharing and streaming videos, music, and web content is by and large seamless.  The player supports a wide variety of codecs and video resolutions, including wide-format and HD audio, DivX HD, XviD, Matrovska, AVI, Windows Media and MP3.  The Smart Sound, MP3 enhancer, and Power Bass features monitor audio levels to prevent ugly surges or range overkill.  This is particularly handy when playing from a collection that is, ah, less than completely RIAA-certified, shall we say – or hell, even one that contains tunes more than a decade or two old.  It’s well known that popular music is now mixed at obscenely loud levels with emphasis on ear-splitting volume rather than audio detail and fidelity; software to manage the disparity between music recorded when people could actually still hear and anything made after Linkin Park formed is becoming a necessity, if you don’t want to be deafened by Skrillex after turning your speakers all the way up so you can hear what Cat Stevens is whining about.

The system looks pretty nice; it’s the standard Samsung black gloss motif slightly modified with a few brushed-aluminum highlights.  Setup is absurdly easy due to all the cables being color coded, and the handheld remote (which can control any device connected to it) and onscreen menus are, typically for Samsung, straightforward, clear, and full-featured.  My number one dislike regarding the HT-5530 are the tallboys.  They are just not sturdy, which is one of the least desirable things you can say about a speaker that long and thin.  When you set up the system, they come broken up into three parts that slot together, which ultimately rest on a stand that inspires very little confidence should the system need to face up to anything more destructive than a strong breeze.  I try not to notice them wobbling whenever I walk by the unit…but I still notice.  Also, the Blu-Ray player provides excellent motion tracking, even with fast-moving and complex footage, as well as an extremely clear picture, but many Blu-Ray discs load painfully slow, with a fair number of movies taking close to a minute to reach the main menu.

Which brings us, finally, to sound quality.  The verdict is: surprisingly good.  Not without faults, the main complaint of mine being the overabundance of bass from the subwoofer.  It’s a common problem in boxed audio systems and a tricky thing to get right – there’s just too much sometimes, and you’re gonna have to deal with a little bit of that and a little bit of harsh tinniness from the forwards during big explosion scenes and car crashes and the like when you’ve got the volume jacked up.  But there’s an astonishing amount of definition to be heard, and the built-in EQ software does a good job of managing the system’s weaknesses while playing to its strengths.   Overall it’s a lot better than it should be for the price, especially when compared to similar all-in-one audio systems.

Rating: 8 / 10

Samsung has a reputation for nice mid- and high-range TV sets, which is the shelf we most likely ought to be selecting our consumer electronics from.  But I know you.  You’re not in Best Buy, standing between the washing machine and TV isle comparing the little yellow price tags.  You’re on TigerDirect fantasizing about an 80% markdown on something that should otherwise require the sale of an internal organ to finance.  You’re just this close to being brave enough to buy a half-price, warranty-less laptop second-hand on ebay, because paying retail makes you feel like a sucker.  More likely than not, there is a history of yard sales in your family.  You are compulsive ogler of woot.com.  I know this about you, because I am you, too.  I truly want to believe that I can get something for nothing – or at least, something for far less than it ought to cost.  I also feel like a chump for paying full-price.

Usually, this personality trait manifests itself in the form of poor purchasing decisions and wastebins full of the angrily-discarded remnants of low-grade Chinese knockoff components.  But not today.  Today, Samsung has come to your rescue.  Get ready to blow half the money you budgeted for a new TV on something totally frivolous, because you won’t be needing it today.

The LE32D450 is, as they say, a steal a twice the price.  You can expect to pay around $400 for it, and for a 32” LCD TV, you may also expect to get a piece of junk that you very quickly grow to hate.  Luckily for us bargain-hunters, Samsung has done as impressive a job with their low-end line, at least in this instance, as they customarily do with their more typically-priced selections of monitors and TVs.  It doesn’t have all the bells and whistles, but it does have most of them, and while the picture quality isn’t the absolute pinnacle of human engineering, it’s way more than just acceptable.  The cost of this set makes the idea of buying a mid-range set distasteful.  You should probably either buy one of these, or really splurge on a super-fancy house-sized thinly-veiled-representation-of-your-supposed-gentials monster set.  You could easily fork over an extra 2 to 300 bucks, and get a television from another manufacturer that is only just as good as the LE32D450.

Specifically, this set excels in two places that low-priced LCD TVs usually stumble.  One of those is dynamic range, especially in the black and shadow color regions.  I fully expected muddled greys and blurry outlines, but the greyscale range here is as crisp and sharp here as I could ask for.  Another problem characteristic of cheap LCDs is motion blur, especially when viewing rapidly changing pictures – action movies, sports events, really energetic pornography.  The good stuff, in other words.  I’ve yet to see this set display any hint of the phenomenon.  Its picture remains remarkably clear under almost any circumstance, and you can host movie night/football night/xbox night/weird uncomfortable orgy night, at your place without a twinge of embarrassment.  (.About your TV)

The set looks best in standard def, and has good up-scaling, plus a freeview SD box, although a complimentary freeview HD tuner is not part of the package.  You can’t have it all and pay next to nothing. The screen has a native 720p, 1366×768 resolution.  Samsung’s onscreen menus have a reputation for being really well-laid-out and easy to navigate, and I’ve seen nothing here to besmirch that image.  The Anynet+ controller claims to be able to control any device you see fit to connect to the TV via its many ports: : three HDMI, one VGA, composite video, SCART, and USB, which will support a digital camera, USB drive, or MP3 player.  You can also stream movies directly to the set with  Samsung’s Connect Movie Share service.  Quite frankly, the downsides of owning this device are few and hard to enumerate.  The single-stem stand could be stronger; even for a very reasonably priced set, I’d like something a big less flimsy to, you know, protect the thing against the evil forces of gravity.  But I’m saying that mainly because I feel like I can’t just tell you how awesome it is to get such a good TV so cheap without complaining about something too.  Bottom line: the LE32D450 is well worth the money you’ll shell out for it.  If you need a new TV and don’t habitually waste money as a form of entertainment, this is a purchase you’ll be satisfied with.

Rating: 9 / 10

How many times have you wished that there was a single device that could help you watch / record TV shows (on your set) along with access a variety of internet-based media? If you own an HD-ready television, you’re in luck because 3view’s HD TV Recorder can do all this and more.

In reality, this device is worth the price of admission based solely on its ability to record up to 400 hours of programming. But when you factor in that it will also allow you to record one channel / program while watching another, you get a much better sense for just how valuable this little box truly is. Along with its recording capabilities comes its built-in internet ready interface, which (as previously mentioned) allows you to watch media straight from YouTube, for example. Even more amazing is the fact that this device will grant you the ability to stream data from your PC; what’s even more impressive is the fact that you can do this with the included remote (without having to get up!).

However, the fun doesn’t end there; this amazing TV recorder also allows you to use social media (like Facebook and Twitter) along with perusing your email box, but through your TV set. For tech junkies who have nice television sets, this is definitely worth picking up. Furthermore, this device is an excellent way to gain the functionality of streaming internet-based media on your TV without having to purchase one of the major video game consoles (which are all now offering these types of services). In other words, this is perhaps an excellent alternative to purchasing an Xbox 360 or PS3 if you’re just after the streaming capabilities of those devices.

Whether you are looking for a total home entertainment / internet to TV interface solution, 3view’s HD Digital TV recorder (with 500GB HDD) is definitely worth looking into. Highly functional and recommended!

Rating: 8 / 10

With recent US crack downs on illegal music sharing websites, and lots of talk about the (US) SOPA, the UK’s SOCA (Serious Organised Crime Agency) have taken control of RNBxclusive.com, later in February, for committing crimes that fall under UK ‘fraud’ laws. SOCA also displayed a message on the site stating that any IP addresses accessing the site were potentially committing a criminal offence, which carries a maximum penalty of up to 10 years imprisonment and an unlimited fine under UK law. SOCA have now removed the below message and are continuing to investigate, and are also targeting international users who could face extradition to the UK.

The US took down MegaUpload.com only months earlier. Now the UK has shown they can take down sites just as easily.

Apple have just announced the new iPad. It will go on sale March 16th and pre-orders are available now.

Features:

• Retina Display, 2048 x 1536

• Quad-core A5X processor for improved graphics. Claims to have 4x the graphics performance as NVIDIA’s Tegra 3 processor that’s found in many Android tablets

• iSight camera, same optics system found in the iPhone 4S. It’s 5 MP

• Records full 1080p HD video

• Voice dictation: new key on the keyboard. Tap it, and it dictates everything you say

• 4G LTE, HSPA+ for wireless carriers. Available on AT&T and Verizon

• Personal hotspot feature

• 3G world ready for connecting to international wireless carriers

• 10 hours of battery life, 9 hours on 4G

• Starts at $499 for Wi-Fi, 16 GB model. Same pricing structure as the iPad 2.

Imagine you’re standing in London or Paris, and about to snap a photo with your iPhone or Android Device…  Wouldn’t it look so much better without all the people walking past in the background?

A brand new app available for iPhone and Android, Scalado’s Remove, solves this issue. The stunning views you wanted to capture won’t be disturbed by people walking past anymore.

Scalado’s Remove takes multiple shots and then determines which objects are moving, and then allows you to remove them, just like magic!

Imagine you’re standing outside the Olympic Stadium in London, 1000s of people are walking past, Scalado’s Remove will literally allow you to remove everyone from the picture. Scalado’s Remove is a big step forward in home photography.

See Scalado’s Remove App in action with the below video: