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Discovering the 3Pod Flashpoint Flat-Folding P5CFH Tripod (Review)
3Pod Flashpoint Flat-Folding Tripod (P5CFH)
Formal Name: 3Pod P5CFH 8X Carbon Fiber 5 Section FlatFold Tripod with K2 BallHead
Adorama
$149.95*
*This price is currently $199.95 with $50.00 instant rebate savings and free shipping.
There are a few things that you’ll never hear anyone say. One of those things is, “I have plenty of space, so adding another large, three-dimensional object to my overpacked car is fine with me.” You’ll also never hear a professional or prosumer photographer say that “Another 20 pounds of equipment that’s difficult to carry is no problem at all.” Nope, you’ll never hear those words from anyone. You know what you’ll hear from a photographer about the Flashpoint Flat-Folding Tripod? The word “Wow” will be part of what’s said. As for additional words of exclamation, superlatives, and odd sounds of joy–one can only speculate.
I’m still lugging around an old painfully heavy, bulky, noisy–yes, noisy tripod from the thrilling days of yesteryear–or the 1980s as some people call them. Obviously my old clunker is durable but it weighs a ton and only collapses so far. It’s clumsy to carry. It’s clumsy to work with. It is almost impossible to level. And it generally drives me nuts to use it.
So, you ask, why haven’t I bought something newer and better? Well, to this I can only say, it’s a mixture of laziness and of not wanting to spend $300+ for a bang up tripod that is probably not that much better than my old one is. The only part that might be better is that many higher end tripods have bubble levels on them so that leveling is easier. As for weight, forget about it. I don’t want to trade a bulldozer for a tank.
Adorama, of course, has the answer to my problem. Adorama has just the remedy in its lineup of affordable, lightweight, durable, sturdy, fully adjustable tripods that not only feature built-in bubble levels but they’re also flat when you fold them. Flat, as in two-dimensional. Yes, I know it sounds strange but it’s true. Flat tripods. The flatness aspect goes against everything you know about tripods, doesn’t it?
Well, these beauties fold flat and come with their own carrying cases. The whole thing looks like a soft sided Clarinet case. And it’s about the same weight as a loaded Clarinet case. All cased up, the tripod measures about 15″x7″x2.75″. The case is actually 7″ at one end and approximately 5″ at the other, so it really looks like a Clarinet case and not a tripod at all.
Inside the case, you’ll find the flat-folding tripod base, a K2 hydraulic Ballhead with standard 0.25″ screw mount, a shoulder strap for you shleppers out there, the user’s manual, tools (two hex key wrenches), and a velvet Ballhead cover to protect your bubble level. The case itself is a heavy duty nylon with reinforced double zippers–think expensive luggage style materials here. It also features internal padding and soft material on the inside to prevent damage from accidental drops and random mishaps during packing or traveling.
At its shortest, unextended height, the tripod is a mere 12 inches tall. The Ballhead adds another 14 inches to the height unextended. However, if you need to get down a little closer to the action, you can adjust the tripod legs downward so that the overall height is only 19 inches.
The middle leg of the tripod has this heavy duty padded hand grip on it for easy manipulation and repositioning of the tripod. The Ballhead also has its own carrying strap so that you don’t have to carry the case on location, unless you want to carry it to and unpack at your destination.
Photographers and their assistants will love the quick setup of this tripod. The legs are quick release, quick tighten and have five height selectors. Fully extended Ballhead and leg angles at their maximum, the tripod stands at just over 56 inches, which means that even at my height (6’2″), a mounted camera is at a very comfortable eye level.
You can position the legs at three different angles and all independent of one another. The same goes for the heights of the extensions. This can provide you with an almost infinite array of possibilities for unusual but stable camera shots. As is suggested by its name, the Ballhead can be used to place your camera at any angle from horizontal to vertical.
The whole assembly is handsome as well as sturdy. The equipment has been tested with camera and accessories at weights up to 20 pounds. That means that your camera, on board flash, umbrella, microphone, lights, or just about anything else you can think of will not be too much for this tripod.
Its strength comes from its carbon fiber construction. In case you don’t know about carbon fiber materials, here’s an excerpt from Wikipedia on the topic:
“The properties of carbon fibers, such as high stiffness, high tensile strength, low weight, high chemical resistance, high temperature tolerance and low thermal expansion, make them very popular in aerospace, civil engineering, military, and motorsports, along with other competition sports. However, they are relatively expensive when compared to similar fibers, such as glass fibers or plastic fibers.”
The leg releases are easy to use in both directions and the feet are large and padded for added stability. However, if you don’t like the padded feet for use on turf, for example, remove them to reveal spikes. Although you’ll have to use a bit of force, the feet simply pull off, push on–no screwing and unscrewing.
The tripod also features a compass, 360-degree head rotation, two levels, and a removable quick-release plate with universal mounting screw.
This tripod does everything but snap the picture for you. Knowing Adorama, they probably have an accessory for that as well.
I consider this tripod to be for outdoors and for travel. It’s weight and capacity dictate that it will work well under just about any condition or application. Location photographers and filmmakers will like this little tripod. No, it’s not suited for large equipment but you really wouldn’t expect it to be for under $150, now would you?
Carbon fiber is well-suited to more extremes than any of your other equipment so don’t worry about environmental conditions causing you any problems at all.
The only problem I found with this tripod is actually one of its features: weight. I know what I said about weight earlier but the problem is that this tripod is so light that your camera is going to be a bit top heavy, which becomes more obvious when the tripod is fully extended. This won’t be a problem unless conditions are breezy. Then it gets a little “iffy.” It might be fine but I’m just too paranoid to let go, walk away and use a wireless remote in anything but a gentle breeze.
That said, you can adjust the legs to give a wider stance and provide more stability even in fairly high winds. It’s just a word of caution mostly to let you know that this is not a 30 or 40 pound beast that will withstand windy conditions. Additionally, the compass seems not to be great. I’d either leave it off or upgrade it a bit to be really useful.
The 3Pod P5CFH flat-folding tripod is a well-constructed, well thought out, versatile tripod that’s easy to travel with and easy to carry.
Why it’s frugal: If you have a need for multiple tripods in your travels, this one could cut that need down to just one. Frugal doesn’t always mean dollars saved but can also mean space, weight, and pain on those long walks to distance locations.
Rating: 8.5/10
Recommendation: If you need a light duty, durable, versatile tripod, this one is very good. Buy it but stay out of the wind.
Cuddle up to your iPad with a Snugg case (Product Review)
Snugg Case for iPad
The Snugg
$29.99
I’ve seen a lot of cases for iPad. I’ve seen ones that claim to do everything but wash your car. The Snugg case for iPad doesn’t make any high and mighty promises. It just does what it does. And it does it elegantly. You’ll never be embarrassed to pull out your iPad with this case on it. In fact, I’d be surprised if you don’t have someone approach you to ask what kind of case it is, where you bought it and how much it cost.
It’s a beautiful leather case that protects your iPad with a look that’s appropriate for even the most conservative office or location. It’s modern, functional, beautiful and crazily affordable. At $30, who can argue?
The only drawback to the Snugg case, and it’s a pretty minor one, is that it doesn’t prop up well on your lap. It tends to not stay up. That said, the case works perfectly on tables, pillow desks, and other fairly rigid surfaces. The upside is that it’s light enough to ignore that one shortcoming. You’ll hardly notice the weight while holding it.
My favorite features of The Snugg are its light weight and its rich feel. My iPad feels secure. It should feel secure because of the Snugg’s velcro latch and “snug” fit. The Snugg feels good in my hands. The Snugg also has some subtle features that you’ll like too. For example, it has magnetic closures, so when you close the flap your iPad goes to sleep. That saves your battery. It’s a good thing.
As you can see from the pictures, you can prop up your iPad in a variety of ways and rest assured of the case’s stability.
All of your controls and cameras are available to you with the case on so there’s no need to slip out of it to do whatever it is that you need to do with a naked iPad. Your fully clothed iPad can do it all but also maintain a very high level of protection and physical beauty while doing it.
The Snugg features a handy and sturdy stylus loop located at the top or left side of the case, depending on how you’re holding it. It also features a hand strap. I don’t really use the hand strap as a hand strap. I use mine as a place to stash all kinds of miscellany from business cards to receipts to my iPhone. Don’t worry, the strap, like everything else on the Snugg case, is very sturdy and well made.
And that’s the first thing you’ll notice when unboxing the Snugg case is its beautiful, quality construction. For $30 these days, I don’t expect much. I should but I don’t. However, The Snugg raises the bar on value for me.
Why it’s frugal: As I’ve written, $30 for a quality leather case that’s light, well-made, elegant, and protects your iPad. How much more frugal do you want? It’s a great value and a great product. Plus, the Snugg comes with the Snugg Promise and a Lifetime Guarantee. Frugality at its finest.
I really like the Snugg case for iPad. It’s my “go to” case for home, travel, gaming, and general use.
Rating: 9.5/10
Recommendation: The Snugg, in my opinion, is a bargain at $29.99. Buy it. You’ll love it.
Introducing the Jackery Leaf Integrated Battery and Case for iPhone 5 and 5S
iPhone 5 and 5S Users Enjoy Extended Talk and App Time with the Jackery Leaf Integrated Battery/Case Solution Powerful and Lightweight Battery Enables Fast Charging on the Go –Jackery Leaf Doubles the Operational Time of the iPhone Battery
Santa Clara, CA (January 21, 2014) — Jackery, Amazon’s #1 provider of premium portable battery products for mobile devices, announced today the release of the Jackery Leaf, the company’s first powerful rechargeable battery for iPhone 5 and 5S devices that is integrated within a protective phone case.
Available in Jackery’s signature orange, black, or white, the Jackery Leaf allows iPhone users to charge their phone while they are mobile due to the battery being integrated within the protective case. The Apple Certified product features a micro-USB to Lightning connector converter, so users can plug in and charge the battery and their iPhone at the same time for optimal efficiency. Full charging takes only two and a half hours. The capacity of the Jackery Leaf gives users up to 50 extra hours of operational time depending on what types of applications they are running or tasks they are performing.
“The Jackery Leaf was built to fit specifically with iPhone 5 and 5S devices within a protective case structure” said York Wu, CEO of Jackery. “A significant differentiator for our product is the battery is detachable from the case, so users can still have the benefits of our great case while the Jackery Leaf is charging. It’s also a considerable value, as users get Jackery’s legendary craftsmanship with two protection cases and an additional battery at a price that is very reasonable. It’s this relentless focus on quality and value that has established us as the industry’s number one provider of premium portable batteries.”
The Jackery Leaf features a three-color LED charging status indicator for simple operation and a four-layer smart safety protection circuit. Each order includes two cases, the battery, a premium audio extension cable and micro-USB charging cable. It is available now at Amazon.com.
In 2013 Jackery established itself as the provider of the most affordable and powerful portable chargers available in the marketplace. Many of Jackery’s products are compatible with Android and iOS devices and also Windows phones, various smartphone and tablet platforms, multiple gaming devices, and MP3 players. The Jackery Leaf joins the Jackery Air, Jackery Fit, Jackery Giant+, Jackery Giant, Jackery Bar and Jackery Mini products. Consumers can purchase the entire Jackery lineup at: http://www.amazon.com/gp/browse.html?ie=UTF8&marketplaceID=ATVPDKIKX0DER&me=AZF6YB7UVA7OU or http://store.jackeryusa.com/.
About Jackery
Jackery is a Santa Clara, California-based technology company focused on developing premium battery products for smartphones and tablets. The company offers a lineup of four products, the Jackery Air, Jackery Giant+, Jackery Giant, Jackery Bar, and Jackery Mini, which all offer considerable charging time and small form factors for owners of the most popular smartphones, tablet devices, MP3 players and gaming devices. For more information, visit www.jackeryusa.com.
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I am always looking for article ideas and topics from readers, companies, PR folks, friends, and techies. This page is where I post my current needs. I have a variety of venues for articles. I decide where I post the information according to interest, audience, and other factors.
If a topic is posted here, I’m interested in interviews, discussions, podcasts, infographics, ideas, and data related to it. Feel free to contact me via email (ken-at-kenhess-dot-com) or Twitter (@kenhess) to continue the dialog. Please read the complete list of needs and the list of things I’m not looking for.
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IBM Introduces X6 Architecture, Optimizes x86-Based Servers For Cloud, Analytics
IBM Introduces X6 Architecture, Optimizes x86-Based Servers For Cloud, Analytics
Industry-first integrated flash storage for high performance, modular design for long life cycles to help reduce costs, improves resiliency for increased uptime
New IBM FlashSystem 840 doubles performance, ideal for virtualization and cloud
Armonk, N.Y. – 16 Jan 2014: IBM (NYSE: IBM) today announced the sixth generation of its enterprise X-Architecture for System x and PureSystems servers, providing industry-leading improvements in the performance and economics of x86-based systems for analytics and cloud.
“Our enterprise X-Architecture for x86-based servers and solutions delivers high performance and the highest customer satisfaction in the industry, making us number one in high-end x86 systems,” said Adalio Sanchez, general manager for IBM System x and PureFlex. “We continue to innovate and deliver leadership performance, reliability and investment protection for mission-critical workloads with X6.”
Clients are rapidly adopting analytics for greater business insight and moving critical workloads like ERP, analytics and database to the cloud for increased efficiency and lower costs, and x86-based systems are the first choice for many. The X6 architecture represents IBM’s continuing R&D investment and industry leadership in x86-based systems, and is specifically designed to provide new levels of performance and resiliency for enterprise applications. For memory-hungry applications, X6 delivers three times the scalable memory of current competitors’ and IBM x86-based systems to support cloud and analytics.*
The X6 architecture is:
- Fast, with integrated eXFlash memory-channel storage–an industry first, this DIMM-based storage provides up to 12.8 terabytes of ultrafast flash storage close to the processor, increasing application performance by providing the lowest system write latency available, essential for analytics applications. X6 can provide significantly lower latency for database operations, which can lower licensing costs and reduce storage costs by reducing or eliminating the need for external SAN/NAS storage units;**
- Agile, with a modular, scalable design that supports multiple generations of CPUs–another industry first–and can reduce acquisition costs, up to 28 percent in comparison to one competitive offering.*** X6 provides stability and flexibility through forthcoming technology developments, allowing users to scale up now and upgrade efficiently in the future. Fast set-up and configuration patterns simplify deployment and life-cycle management;
- Resilient, with features that can help extend cloud delivery models to mission-critical applications. Memory and storage increase virtual machine capacity to allow SaaS delivery of applications. Autonomous self-healing CPU and memory systems maximize application uptime by proactively identifying potential failures and taking action to correct them. In addition, Upward Integration Modules can help reduce the cost and complexity of system administration by allowing operators to perform management tasks through virtualization tools.
Server models supported by this new architecture currently include the System x3850 X6 four-socket system, System x3950 X6 eight-socket system, and the IBM Flex System x880 scalable compute nodes. IBM also is introducing the System x3650 M4 BD storage server, a two-socket rack server supporting up to 14 drives delivering up to 56 terabytes of high-density storage — the largest available in the industry. It provides 46 percent greater performance than previous comparable IBM System x servers and is ideally suited for distributed scale-out of big data workloads.****
New Solutions for X6
Clients moving enterprise applications to cloud models and adopting analytics for quick business insights require integrated solutions for fast deployment, efficiency and performance. To help clients achieve these results, IBM is announcing new solutions for its X6 architecture for analytics, database and cloud deployment, including IBM System x Solution for DB2 with BLU Acceleration on X6 for accelerating analytics, IBM System x Solution for SAP HANA on X6 for analytics, and System x Solution for VMware vCloud Suite on X6 for infrastructure-as-a-service capabilities.
New Storage for cloud, analytics
IBM has announced the general availability of the new IBM FlashSystem 840. The new system provides nearly double the bandwidth and double the performance — 1.1M IOPS — of its predecessor, the FlashSystem 820 — making it ideally suited for analytical databases, virtualization infrastructures, and public and private clouds.***** Supporting up to 48 terabytes of usable capacity in a 2U unit, the all-Flash array also features IBM MicroLatency technology that significantly speeds data access times from milliseconds to microseconds (less than 135 microseconds) giving organizations faster actionable insights from real-time data analytics. In addition, a new management GUI, as well as datacenter-optimized features such as hot-swap components and concurrent code load, enable fast installation and easy management.
IBM also is introducing the FlashSystem Enterprise Performance Solution, which bundles the FlashSystem 840 and IBM System Storage SAN Volume Controller (SVC) technology. The solution includes a suite of advanced data management features ranging from Real-time Compression, snapshots, thin provisioning, VAAI, and application aware copies, to FlashCopy, and storage virtualization with IBM Easy Tier.
New SDE capabilities for cloud
IBM is strengthening its software defined environment (SDE) portfolio with the introduction of IBM Platform Resource Scheduler for private and hybrid IBM SmartCloud clients who want to accelerate time-to-results, improve infrastructure flexibility and reduce operating costs. IBM Platform Resource Scheduler provides a fully virtualized, open and programmable architecture that ensures enterprises are taking advantage of all available IT resources — from application software licenses to available network bandwidth.
Integrated with OpenStack, this dynamic resource management tool provides a comprehensive set of intelligent, policy-driven scheduling features that automatically allocate the right resources to the right job, balances workload demand with infrastructure supply and ensures adherence to service level agreements, improving overall application performance and efficiency. The open and extensible architecture also allows enterprises to easily reconfigure and add customized policies to meet their specific sharing and scheduling needs.
Financing for cloud and analytics
IBM Global Financing has announced new financing offerings today to help clients quickly adopt new cloud and analytics solutions by helping reduce upfront costs and speed return on investment. Credit-qualified clients can obtain Fair Market Value leasing when acquiring X6 architecture solutions. Other offerings announced include 0-percent financing and deferred payments for 90 days when they acquire IBM PureSystems, SDE and Storage technology.
Also, IBM’s new mobile financing application can help IBM Business Partners close more business with their clients, allowing credit-qualified clients to acquire financing to deploy solutions for analytics, mobile computing, social business and Smarter Planet technologies quickly.
IBM Systems and Technology Group offers a full range of offerings supporting public, private and hybrid cloud implementations that integrate with IBM’s cloud software and services. This Systems portfolio includes IBM System x racks and BladeCenter, NeXtScale, PureFlex, Power Systems and System z servers, and IBM Storage solutions. For more information on IBM Global Financing, please go here.
*Triple the memory capacity (Up to 6TB in 4S system; up to 12TB in 8S system) and support up to 24 DDR3 DIMMs per socket and up to 64GB LRDIMM density, based on published Intel specifications, compared with x86 competitors with offerings based on Intel’s current processors.
**5-10 microseconds write latency for eXFlash DIMMs in preliminary testing vs. 15-19 microseconds latency for PCIe-based flash storage from Fusion IO, Micron, and Virident, and 65 microseconds latency for Intel S3500 and S3700 SSDs. (Pending final IBM performance testing.)
Using internal eXFlash storage reduces or eliminates the need for external SAN/NAS storage. Less SAN hardware means fewer software licenses.
***28 percent acquisition cost savings based on pricing of x3850 X6 at announcement on 2/18 vs. current pricing of a comparable x86 based system that includes 2 x Intel Xeon E7-4820 (v1) processors, 1TB of memory (16GB RDIMMs) 3.6TB of HDD storage, and Dual Port 10GBe SFP+ controller. x3850 X6 includes 2 Compute Books, 2 x Intel Xeon E7 processors, 1TB of memory (16GB RDIMMs), 3.6TB of HDD storage, and Dual Port 10GBe SFP+ controller.
****Compared to HP two-socket servers supporting a maximum of 48 TB storage with 12 x 3.5″ drives, and Dell two-socket servers supporting a maximum of 51.2 TB storage with 12 x 3.5″ and 2 x 2.5″ drives.
46-percent figure based on Intel Internal Test Report #1310, using SPECjbb*2013 benchmark, July 2013.
*****The performance data discussed herein is presented as derived under specific operating conditions by IBM. Actual results may vary.
This post was written as part of the IBM for Midsize Business program, which provides midsize businesses with the tools, expertise and solutions they need to become engines of a smarter planet.
I’ve been compensated to contribute to this program, but the opinions expressed in this post are my own and don’t necessarily represent IBM’s positions, strategies or opinions.
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