Teens in Tech - Gadgets

Editors note: This is a guest post by Burhan Siddiqui, 13-year-old lover of all things involving technology.

The 2011 MacBook Air 13.3″ is truly a stunning machine with a beastly 1.7GHz duel-core Intel Core i5 processor and 4GB of RAM. This is the perfect notebook for students who want something which weighs just 2.96 pounds and is less than an inch thick! That said, there are good, bad, and points over improvement that I would like to cover.

Editors note: This is a guest post by Burhan Siddiqui, 13-year-old lover of all things involving technology.

After roughly 24 hours with the BlackBerry PlayBook, I thought I would share my initial thoughts on the product with you. But first, I will explain why I bought this device: the PlayBook is overpriced, however, due to the lack if demand worldwide BlackBerry has reduced the price of the PlayBook dramatically – I got the 32GB model for $200 instead of $500 – a massive saving! Read to learn more about Burhan’s impressions on the BlackBerry PlayBook!

Editor’s Note: Charles Peralo is a teen entrepreneur from New York. He is passionate about futuristic technological ideas. He is a founder of Streable and an ambassador at the Seasteading Institute.

Right now if you are a teen involved in technology and then designing apps iOS apps is the best way to make money. Yet, there are people who are skilled in a variety of areas other than coding. With that in mind, I believe the next multibillion dollar industry that could change the world is 3D printing.

When thinking of a DSLR, video recording isn’t always the first thing that comes to mind. A DSLR is meant for the users looking for superior image quality. However, with the introduction of interchangeable lens cameras, cameras like Olympus EP collection, have become accessible to more consumers. However, until the release of the NEX VG-10, video quality was never a factor in the production of DSLR cameras. Is the NEX VG-10 more than a DSLR?

Design and Hardware

There’s no doubt about it, this camera can be pretty heavy. Despite its average camcorder size, with an interchangeable lens and electronic viewfinder, this camera can take up some space. The electronic viewfinder, which isn’t removable, also has a double hot shoe. The viewfinder also has an external microphone which unleashes some amazing audio quality for its class. The viewfinder also makes for a great handle for low shots. The main camera has a screen that, sadly, doesn’t flip forward, just up and down. This makes self shots a lot more difficult. All of the major controls are found when the screen is flipped open. The front obviously has interchangeable lens.

Last week, Lytro announced their first product, the digital light field camera. The digital light field camera is a totally new concept in photography, drastically different from all current products. Along with this new technology the digital light field camera is housed in a sleek, easy-to-use body. Read to learn more!

After much speculation, Apple unveiled the next generation of their iPhone product line, the iPhone 4S. Almost a week ago Apple send out an invitation reading “Let’s Talk!” to members of the press about a product announcement on October 4^th. This invitation reignited the guessing game that happens before every Apple announcement. Teens in Tech recently covered the rumors about the iPhone 4S/5 with a roundup written by Emmanuel Banks. Now that Apple has made their announcement, here are the details that are most intriguing.

Lack of New Design

Apple made a very interesting move to not revamp the design of the iPhone in creating the iPhone 4S. This move tells us a lot about the motivations of Apple. To begin Apple realized that they had a beautiful device that already which is superior their competition. More importantly, it signals that Apple cares strongly about their software experience. Thus the focus in the iPhone 4S on software over hardware.

Excitement increases as Apple adds the final touches to a press event on October 4^th. The press event will cover information on iOS 5 and iPhone 5 (or more technically iPhone 4S). This will be the moment when many individuals will be able to officially mark off their list of features they hope to find in the new device. Now that we are hours before the event, as with all things Apple, things details are scarce. However, we can safely say that it doesn’t hurt to weigh the more likely features that will be included in the new generation iPhone.

There is a lot of confusion on the October 4^th date. There are some individuals that are overly excited about this date because they think this is when the iPhone 5 will become available. That is not the case; Apple rarely releases a product on the date it is announced. However, it is a safe assumption that October is the month that you’ll get your hands on one. One reason we find it harder to pinpoint a release date is because the normal release month is June, however this was pushed over due to the Verizon iPhone release. If Apple keeps the same routine, we can expect a release on the second or third Friday of October. Read to learn more!

After much speculation, Amazon announced a refresh to their Kindle product line this morning. Rumors had been floating for almost a month about the possible launch of an “iPad killer” that Amazon was developing. The Kindle announcement included a refreshed design, a touchscreen version, a new pricing model, and an iPad competitor.

New Design with Touchscreen

In the product announcement this morning, Amazon refreshed the design of the prior Kindle, giving it a lighter, slimmer, and sleeker design. This is coupled with an easy to use button scheme compared to the cumbersome keyboard design of the prior generations. Up until earlier today, the lack of a touchscreen has been a major weakness for the Kindle product line, compared to the iPad and the Nook Touch. Now you have the option to get the Kindle with or without a touchscreen. This enhancement puts the Kindle back in race with the iPad and Nook Touch for best e-reader.

Editors note: iPhone Spotlight is a new series where teens can share how they use their phones to get things done!

I’m Emmanuel Banks and this is my iPhone setup. At first glance, it seems quite average and random, but it’s actually more planned than you may think. First off, I must address the front page. I make sure to keep the front page just like how it was out of the box. It seems to irk me to see that page tampered with. So all of my downloaded apps are on the second and third pages. Read to learn more!

In the first post we discussed getting setup on YouTube. At this point you should have a name, a channel and some idea of what you will post on YouTube. Now you need the right equipment to bet your voice heard. Read to learn more about the what equipment you need to start on YouTube.

Shooting photos on the go is a fantastic way to save memories. Yet with the plethora of computers, cameras, and SD cards it is difficult to choose the right gear. Over the past month I have put my personal setup through the test of daily shooting on-the-go while traveling. Below are my impressions of the gear in my personal setup.

Summer is coming to a close and the school year is about to begin. In our previous segment of the back to school series, we outlined some of the best in technology for the back to school season. Now, it is the perfect time to look at some of the best applications to load on your gadget. No, this list will not include Angry Birds or any other games; no matter how much we like them. These are the best applications to help with making the school year easier to handle. So, let’s get to it, here are the best applications for the 2011 – 2012 school year.