Blogcritics Author: Ashleigh Charlesworth

Announcement: Short-content feeds

Phillip Winn — Sun, 26 Aug 2007 12:00:00 EDT

Sunday, August 26, 2007, marks the switch of all Blogcritics.org article feeds from full-content to short-content. This is the result of several converging factors, and is unfortunately a permanent decision (as permanent as any decision can be on the web, that is). We are aware of all of the reasons that this is a Bad Idea, and we are aware that some of you will be quite upset about having to click on something to read the free content, and we're sorry. Unfortunately, despite great effort, full-content feeds are not currently economically viable. Two other factors are involved: full-content feeds have resulted in an unprecedented level of content theft, with BC content appearing on many websites, usually spam sites, without attribution or permission. This duplicate content causes a cascading set of problems, not the least of which is that search engines generally aren't favorable to duplicate content, and don't always guess correctly. Finally, our RSS advertising partner is strongly in favor of short-content feeds. We hope that you'll continue to subscribe to BC via RSS, and when an article grabs your eye, it's only a click away, still free on the BC website. Thank you for your understanding.

SanDisk and DivX in partnership

Ashleigh Charlesworth — Fri, 29 Jun 2007 20:37:38 EDT

A press release today from SanDisk and DivX has announced that the two companies have signed an agreement that allows SanDisk to use the DivX codec in their Sansa portable media players. This means that the video capable Sansa’s will be able to re-play DivX content, a major improvement over the Motion Jpeg that they currently support. It should be quite interesting to see if the Sansa range increases from just solid state to include HDD or large capacity solid state players in the future.It's also interesting from the DivX point of view. Not only does it show their ongoing commitment to the Stage6 project, but also the that they are looking to push their media portal to end users through a variety of playback devices. Their own GejBox HDMI playback device is currently in beta testing. If the next generation of Sansa players include some form of WiFi capability, you could theoretically include streaming directly from the Stage6 site on the internet.This may lead to another entrant into the iTunes market place. Stage6 already has a good catalogue of content, and may be able to temp some of the studio's into releasing some of their episodes or perhaps even HD movie's through the system. If that is what the DivX team is trying to do, then they may have a tough time fighting the already established Apple system.The Stage6 portal however is interesting, as at the moment, a good proportion of the content is user uploaded, and because of that can be considered to perhaps be a portal for Video Blogging (think of it as a HD version of YouTube).Interesting times ahead in the video playback media players, as the DivX format is arguably the closest competition to QuickTime in quality/size, and the Sansa players are the closest in sales to the iPod, will the inclusion of the DivX technology allow the Sansa to close the gap to the Apple players.SanDisk has not yet said if it will offer firmware upgrades to current players to enable the feature.

Ashleigh currently writes for Naked Cleaner and F1 Blog. His interest lie in Technology (of all forms) and engineering. Day to day he does network security for living (yes I AM that nerdy).

Review: Pentax K100D

Ashleigh Charlesworth — Wed, 9 May 2007 05:54:00 EDT

After spending many years using Canon SLR and Digital SLR cameras, I've come to review the K100D, Pentax's entry level DSLR. I was not expecting much, but to say I was surprised is an understatement. The camera is designed for a beginner: things like not using a battery pack - instead using four AA batterys - as well as the body being completely plastic give it away (although all of the internal components are steel). That said, it's up there with some of the more expensive competition when it comes to the photos it produces. Fit and Feel The K100D is one of the smaller DSLR cameras on the market, and as such sits nicely in the hand. The case is bolted together well, and feels like a quality product, it feels like a much more expensive camera than it is. The only downside to the finish of the camera is some of the doors that things hide behind. The SD and connection doors feel a little flimsy in comparison to the rest of the body. The layout of the controls are well thought out and placed within easy reach of your fingers. All of the standard 'shooting' controls are clustered around your right hand forefinger and thumb, with all of the menu type functions clustered around the clear 2.5" display on the rear left hand side. The inclusion of the preview shot function is a nice feature. This allows you to take a shot, and see it displayed on the LCD screen (for a longer period when compared to the standard quick preview when you actually take a shot), without it going to the SD card. This allows you to setup the shot without having to switch to the review mode all the time. The lens mount point takes any of the KA-Mount lenses available, however as with all DLSR cameras, lenses designed for normal 35mm SLR bodies will give a little headache with focus length conversions, luckily the conversion is a 1.5X calculation giving a 35mm lens the actual focal length of 52.5mm. Photos and Features This is where the K100D shines. It has enough features to keep most pro-am photographers happy, but at the same time is easy enough for a beginner to just point and shoot. All of the images you see here have either been shot by myself or my wife who are experienced DSLR users, except for the Rally shots, these where shot by a friend of mine at the World Rally Championship (WRC) in Portugal, and these are significant as the K100D is the first SLR or DSLR he has used. None of the shots I have used in this review have been edited or modified in Photoshop, so what you see is what the camera produced. As I think you will agree the camera does a good job in either type of users hand, as the Rally action shots are superb. If you look closely at these shots you will notice a couple of finger print smudges, these are there as he did not want to clean the lens so as not to break or scratch it. The bundled 18-55 lens is a good size lens to get started with. Its usable range and apertures are similar to most compact cameras, and as such people will not have too much trouble framing the shots they take. As I mentioned I am a Canon user, and as such do not have any KA-Mount lenses to try a larger one out. I usually like to use a 75-300 as a tester because it gives you a feel of how well balanced the camera will be with a larger lens, one that does not warrant a tri/mono-pod of its own. The 18-55 lens however did show that the image stabilization unit built into the device works well, it allows shooting with slower shutter speeds un-aided by static mounting, this means that you will have to carry around tri/mono pods less often. Action Shots Some of the more common uses that DSLRs tend to have is the high speed 'action shot'.These can be of almost any sport, or even animal watching etc. This is the one slight disappointment of the K100D. As you can see from the WRC series of shots here the camera can take about 5 shots in a row (using JPG), the fifth shot however is slightly delayed compared to the preceding four shots (if on highest quality JPG mode at least). This is due to the internal memory being smaller than some of the more expensive (including the Pentax K10D big brother model) opposition. This should not be an issue for most people but it is worth bearing in mind if taking high speed shots is one of your requirements in the camera. Macro Taking close up shots without the need for a tripod is nice and makes taking macro shots easier. The anti shake system seems to work well when used in this way, shot's that I would usually need a tripod for are easily taken without one. Even under low light the system seemed to work well, as did the auto focus on all the shots that I took. The auto focus mode can also make use of the flash to allow it to try and focus more accurately under extreme lighting conditions. Conclusion As I mentioned at the beginning of the review, I was pleasantly surprised by the K100D. The camera is a perfect entry into the DSLR market, and one that can be easily built on. The use of the KA-Mount lenses is a good idea, these can be used then on more expensive and professional bodies at a later date, so long as you stick with the Pentax brand. Sticking with a brand is all photographer's biggest headache, and one that will not go away soon, so selecting a large, trusted manufacturer like Pentax is a good idea. I have already made this decision, but went in the Canon direction, mainly because I had lots of Canon SLR equipment already. Some things I would like to see for this camera is some more 'profesional' add-on options. A specialized battery grip to extend the working life of the camera would be nice for example. I cannot recommend this camera highly enough for those looking to buy their first DSLR, it is a well built, reliable camera from a large and trusted manufacturer. Note : The K110D is identical to the K100D, the only difference is that the K110D is designed for sale via specific Pentax partners.Specs Sensor 23.5 x 15.7 mm CCD sensor RGB Color Filter Array Interline interlaced CCD Built-in fixed low-pass filter 6.31 million total pixels 6.1 million effective pixels Shake Reduction CCD-Shift type Image sizes 3008 x 2000 (Large) 2400 x 1600 (Middle) 1536 x 1024 (Small) Image formats RAW JPEG Best / Better / Good modes Color space sRGB Adobe RGB Lenses Pentax KAF2, KAF, KA mount lenses (however not all features are supported on all lens types) Focusing 11-area AF (SAFOX VIII) TTL Phase matching AF system Focus point selectable EV 0 to 19 (ISO 100) detection range Focus modes AF-Single AF-Continuous (Action mode) Manual focus AF assist via flash Shooting modes Auto picture mode Programmed AE Mode Shutter-Priority AE Aperture-Priority AE Metered Manual Bulb Picture modes Scene modes Sensitivity Auto (200 - 800 default, can be changed) ISO 200 ISO 400 ISO 800 ISO 1600 ISO 3200 Shutter Speed 30 to 1/4000 sec Bulb LCD Display 2.5" TFT LCD 210,000 pixels Storage SD SDHC Battery 4 x AA batteries (rechargeable recommended) 2 x CR-V3 Lithium (non-rechargeable) Optional AC adapter Dimensions and weight 129 x 93 x 70 mm (5.1 x 3.7 x 2.8 in) Weight (no batt/lens) 565g Weight (no lens) 660g

Ashleigh currently writes for Naked Cleaner and F1 Blog. His interest lie in Technology (of all forms) and engineering. Day to day he does network security for living (yes I AM that nerdy).

MotoGP: Rossi Dominates in Spain

Ashleigh Charlesworth — Mon, 26 Mar 2007 21:14:17 EDT

The Yamaha team showed that the bike and riders are still the quickest around on Sunday in Spain. Valentino Rossi dominated the race from start to finish, with team mate Colin Edwards coming in third.Dani Pedrosa managed to be "the best of the rest," finishing his Honda RC212V second.It all looked too easy for Rossi though -- he managed the gap to Pedrosa well, kept his tyres in better condition than anyone else, and even had enough time in his pocket to back off on the last three laps.Pedrosa, on the other hand, struggled to keep up with the Italian seven-time title winner. He looked ragged and close to crashing at points. His tyres showed a lot more wear after the race than either of the Yamahas.The race started with Pedrosa on pole, and Rossi in the second spot. Rossi had the launch off the line, and managed to get into the first corner in the lead position.Pedrosa managed to stay with Rossi for the first ten laps, even looking to challenge for the lead at times. However it was Rossi that looked after his tyres, and after the first half of the race started to struggle in maintaining the gap to Rossi. So much in fact that Edwards started to make inroads into Pedrosa.The status quo was held, and the top three was Rossi, Pedrosa and Edwards.If the front of the pack sounded boring, it certainly was not further down the pack. The current world champion Nicky Hayden made moves up the grid after a poor qualifying, and was running in fourth place. The climb used his tyres up early however, and towards the end of the race started to slip back. It seems he struggled to come to terms with the new 800cc bikes.The two Ducati factory bikes really struggled at the twisty circuit. They may have the power, but they need to work on the handling. Both Casey Stoner and Loris Capirosi struggled. The two riders did seem to preserve their tyres well though, and Stoner ended the race fifth.The rider of the race in my eyes though was Toni Elias. After starting in the fourth row on the grid he made some great moves on Stoner, Checa, Melandri and finally Hayden to finish as the next best Honda behind the leading three.There were also some other interesting points to take away from this race. The Suzukis looked strong, and if John Hopkins had not come off in the quick Pons corner after passing Hayden, he would have finished in fourth, as he certainly had the better speed in the race.ResultsValentino Rossi (Fiat Yamaha)Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda)Colin Edwards (Fiat Yamaha)Toni Elias (Honda Gresini)Casey Stoner (Ducati Marlboro)Carlos Checa (Honda LCR)Nicky Hayden (Repsol Honda)Marco Melandri (Honda Gresini)Chris Vermeulen (Rizla Suzuki)Shinya Nakano (Konica Minolta Honda)Alex Barros (Pramac d'Antin Ducati)Loris Capirossi (Ducati Marlboro)Randy De Puniet (Kawasaki)Makoto Tamada (Tech 3 Yamaha)Sylvain Guintoli (Tech 3 Yamaha)Kenny Roberts Jr (Team Roberts Honda)Kousuke Akiyoshi (Rizla Suzuki)Olivier Jacque (Kawasaki)John Hopkins (Rizla Suzuki)

Ashleigh currently writes for Naked Cleaner and F1 Blog. His interest lie in Technology (of all forms) and engineering. Day to day he does network security for living (yes I AM that nerdy).

F1: A beginners guide - The Other Teams and Drivers

Ashleigh Charlesworth — Fri, 16 Mar 2007 21:04:52 EDT

BMW Sauber F1 - The Sauber team was bought by the German car company BMW in 2005. The BMW engine was used in the Williams F1 car during the 2005 season. The two companies decided to go their separate ways after the season due to management differences, and BMW announced it would buy the Swiss team. The team competed in its first season last year and managed to score two podium positions and finish fifth in the constructors championship. Drivers - Nick Heidfeld (Germany, 0 Wins) and Robert Kubica (Polish, 0 Wins) Prediction - The BMW company has put a lot of resources into their F1 team, and will be a stronger, more prominent front runner this season. They have invested in a huge supercomputer for use in Computational Fluid Dynamics. They have also invested in the team's wind tunnel, and as such should have a good aero package on the car. That combined with a powerful and reliable BMW P86/7 engine should prove to be a fast package. Of the two drivers, Nick Heidfeld needs to prove his worth this season. Robert Kubica has shown he's not only quick, but also able to dice with the best. The team could annoy the front runners by mixing it at the front on a regular basis. Red Bull Racing - The Red Bull Racing team is the first of two teams that are owned by Dietrich Mateschitz (owner of Red Bull drinks). The team was started when Dietrich Mateschitz purchased the Jaguar Race team from Ford motor company in 2005. Up until this season, the team has run using adapted Jaguar racing chassis and setup - using a Cosworth engine in 2005 and a Ferrari customer engine through 2006. This year is the first year that the team will truly have their own car - they hired Adrian Newey in 2006 to design the RB03 chassis. The team has also signed a contract with Renault to supply their engine and have given their Ferrari engines to sister team Scuderia Toro Rosso. Drivers - David Coulthard (English, 13 Wins) and Mark Webber (Australia, 0 Wins) Prediction - Red Bull have done a lot of things right this season. They purchased one of the strongest engines (if not most powerful), they have one of the best chief designers in Adrian Newey, and a committed driver lineup. If all of these things come together, the team will win races this season. If the team has gained access to the Renault electronics software then it could be a strong contender (the Renault launch and traction systems are considered the best on the grid). The team will be strong, and will be regular podium visitors. Scuderia Toro Rosso - Team STR is the Red Bull sister team (owned 50/50 with Gerhard Berger). This season they move into the big league. The team used outdated V10 engines and updated RB01 chassis during the 2006 season; a loophole in the rules that allowed the teams predecessors, Minardi to compete. This year the team got Ferrari customer engines, and the same Adrian Newey chassis as its bigger brother (this has caused rumblings of disquiet inside F1 circles as "platform" sharing is not allowed until 2008). Drivers - Vitantonio Liuzzi (Italian, 0 Wins) and Scott Speed (USA, 0 Wins) Prediction - The team has a chance of elevating themselves from the back of the pack, to mid table or, at times, possible front runners. The drivers are both relatively unproven but if they have a good day, it could cause concerns at the front. Ferrari customer engines have never won though, and I doubt we will see one this year. The Adrian Newey car was obviously designed with the Renault power unit in mind, and as such may not be ideally adapted to the Ferrari one - certainly a team to keep an eye on though. Etihad Aldar Spyker F1 Team - The Spyker team come from the Midland F1 team, which in turn was purchased from Eddie Jordan when he sold the Jordan F1 team. Spyker are a Dutch sports car manufacturer, they have competed in various other racing events, usually with Audi supplied engines. The team has signed to use a Ferrari customer engine in 2007 and the car looks to be a development of the F8-VI. Drivers - Christijan Albers (Dutch, 0 Wins) and Adrian Sutil (German, 0 Wins) Prediction - This is Spyker's real first year, although it's not a true first year as most of the development work was done before they purchased the team. They have the Ferrari engine, and a stable "base" platform in their new chassis. They are certainly quicker than last year, but will still be running towards the back of the field. Super Aguri F1 - Considered by most to be Honda's "junior" team, Super Aguri F1 was setup by its namesake in record time at the end of the 2005 season, and raced in the 2006 season. It is rumored that the reason the team exists is because Honda Corporation needed a team that Takuma Sato could race for after they removed him from the racing lineup at the Honda Factory team. Drivers - Takuma Sato (Japan, 0 Wins) and Anthony Davidson (England, Rookie Season) Prediction - This year sees the rookie (but highly experienced) Anthony Davidson jump up from the test role in the Factory Honda team to the race seat at SA F1. The SA07 is in essence a rebranded and updated version of last year's factory Honda car (this, like the STR car, has caused controversy). Both of the drivers know the car well, Anthony more so as he tested and developed the RA106 during last season. I don't predict that the team will be front runners, they may be quicker than they look at times, but don't expect too much. Summary That's the teams. Everyone has their favorite, both drivers and team. Personally I am a Toyota supporter, strange as that may seem, but also support the Brits on the grid. I've watched Lewis Hamilton for years, since his Formula Renault days, so would like to see him do well. Make up your own mind. After all, that's what it's about.

Ashleigh currently writes for Naked Cleaner and F1 Blog. His interest lie in Technology (of all forms) and engineering. Day to day he does network security for living (yes I AM that nerdy).

F1: A Beginners Guide - The Top Teams and Drivers

Ashleigh Charlesworth — Fri, 16 Mar 2007 20:27:20 EDT

In part one, we looked at some of the areas that make Formula One cars so much different to other types of race cars. This part of the guide will introduce you to the teams that make up the F1 experience. The Teams The current teams in F1 are made up of both up-and-comers, and the F1 staples. All of the front running teams have taken part in F1 for decades, however there are some up and coming teams that hope to challenge the establishment. Scudderia Marlboro Ferrari - The Ferrari team have been involved in F1 for years, and for many of those years, the team to beat. Ferrari has an incredible record of success in modern F1: Up until the end of 2006 they had competed in 741 races, won 193 races, had 184 pole positions, and 194 fastest laps. During their history in the sport, they have won 14 constructors and 14 drivers world championships although not necessarily in the same years. In recent years, the team's success is mainly due to the partnership of Jean Todt as team principal, Michael Schumacher as driver and Ross Brawn as technical director. Drivers - Kimi Raikkonen (Finland, 9 wins) and Filipe Massa (Brazil, 2 wins). Prediction - The Ferrari team will always be strong:even when the team is struggling in F1, they show glimmers of speed. There are new faces at Ferrari this year though, Kimi Raikonen has replaced Michael Schumacher as the team leader, Mario Almondo has replaced Ross Brawn as technical head of the team and Jean Todt will be distracted after taking over the running of the Ferrari production car company. This year also sees a completely new car, the track is wider, the wheel base longer and has a complete change to the front suspension technology. Ferrari adopted a zero keel layout over their traditional single keel design. The Ferrari will be strong this year: testing has shown the F2007 car to be quick but there may be teething troubles with the car as it is so new to the team. They have two of the fastest drivers on the grid and will be difficult to beat if they work as a team. Vodafone McLaren Mercedes - The McLaren team was founded in 1963 by the Australian, Bruce McLaren. McLaren has only been bettered in the history of F1 by one team, that of Ferrari (however Ferrari have competed in the sport for a longer period of time). The team has competed in 641 races, winning 148 races, 125 pole positions, and 130 fastest laps. They have also won 8 constructors, and 11 drivers' championships. The team is run by the self confessed workaholic, Ron Dennis and is one of many English based teams. Drivers - Fernando Alonso (Spain, 15 wins and 2 world championships) and Lewis Hamilton (England, Rookie season) Prediction - Like the Ferrari team, the McLaren team has a lot of changes. New for this year are both drivers, Fernando is a proven race and championship winner, and if the car is reliable and quick, will be the driver to beat. Hamilton, who is the first coloured driver in the championship, is an extremely fast, talented and focused driver, who has won everything he has driven. If he can keep on top of the steep learning curve, he will do well. The MP4-22 car has shown itself to be quick in testing, constantly as fast, if not faster than, the Ferrari F2007. The outlook is good, they have the best driver of last year, and one of the most talented rookies to come to the sport for years, McLaren should be a very strong team. ING Renault F1 - Renault have competed in F1 since 1977. For most of that time they were engine suppliers, and as such have won championships with both the Beneton and Williams teams. They took over the running of the Beneton F1 team in 2001 and in 2005 and 2006 they won both constructors and drivers' championship with Fernando Alonso at the wheel. The French owned team are another English based race crew. Drivers - Giancarlo Fisichella (Italy, 3 Wins) and Heikki Kovalainen (Finland, Rookie season) Prediction - The R26 of last year was not ultimately the fastest car on the grid, but it was reliable and probably the best all round car. It looks like the R27 could be the same, the car has always been close to the top times in winter testing, though certainly not the quickest. The team, like McLaren, also has a rookie at the helm of the second car. Giancarlo Fisichella takes over as the team leader, and has shown he can be quick, perhaps now that he is out from under the shadow of Alonso he may shine. Heikki Kovalainen is a bit of an unknown quantity, he has been quick in testing, as well as showing promise driving the third car last year for Renault. The team could do well, it's down to the drivers mostly. Alonso made a slightly off-pace Renault look good last year, the team is very innovative in the aerodynamics department, and have a good pit and strategy squad. AT&T Williams F1 - Sir Frank Williams and Patrick Head's team gets reinvigorated this year. After a year of struggling in 2006, the team is looking to get back to their winning ways. The Williams team started racing in 1978 and was very successful in the 80s and 90s winning 9 constructors and 7 drivers' championships between 1980 and 1997. The team competed in 502 races in which they have won 113 races, had 125 pole positions and 128 fastest laps. The team is known for having had some of the most famous racing drivers in their cars: Keke Rosberg, Nigel Mansell, Damon Hill, Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost are just a few of the names that have driven a Williams over the years. Drivers - Nico Rosberg (German, 0 Wins) and Alexander Wurz (Austrian, 0 Wins) Prediction - The Williams team struggled in 2006, they initially had issues with the aero stability of their cars. Although the Cosworth V8 engine was reportedly the most powerful on the grid and the first break, the 20,000 RPM 'limit' that the V8 engines theoretically had made it a bit fragile at times. There may be a resurgence at the Grove (Oxford, UK) team. They have signed some large corporate sponsors in AT&T and Lenovo, so money will not be a key issue. They have also dropped the Cosworth engine and instead signed a deal with the Toyota F1 team to run their RVX-07 engine this year. With a major car company helping out, and two up and coming drivers, they may just be able to turn the tide. I would think the team does not have title expectations this year, instead they should be looking to get back into the winning way. Honda Racing F1 - The modern Honda team grew out of the BAR team that was setup originally by British American Tobacco after they acquired the Tyrell team. There is not a lot of the old BAR team left inside Honda after the Japanese manufacturer bought the team out, besides the Brackley (UK) team base. The Honda team has been set up and honed for the English driver Jenson Button. Button was joined last year by the likable Brazilian, Rubens Barrichello, and this year is no different. Honda corporation has a long F1 history, they competed in the sport as early as 1963 which was only three years after creating their first road car withdrawing from the championship in 1969. They reentered the sport as engine suppliers between 1983 and 1992 winning 71 grands prix, six constructors championships and five drivers' championships. Since the company's return as a constructor to F1 in 2005 they have won once with Jenson Button. Drivers - Jenson Button (England, 1 Wins) and Rubens Barrichello (Brazil, 9 Wins) Prediction - The Honda team has been struggling for pace in Winter testing. It seems that the team is struggling to get the aero balance of the car and tyres right. The team has been getting better towards the end of the testing season - times have not quite reached the levels of the other top teams yet. Jenson Button has rid himself of the worry that he would not win a race, and towards the end of last season looked more at ease with himself and his driving. Rubens Barrichello has proven himself as a winner in the past, he struggled to acclimatise to the Honda last year, but with a year of driving behind him, could be back on form this year. The team should be in the podium places more often this year as long as the package is reliable. Panasonic Toyota Racing - The Toyota team is the most recent team to set up "fresh" in F1 (they did not buy a current F1 team, instead they paid the 40 million dollar joining fee). They were created in 1999 and started racing in 2001. The team has been heavily criticized for not performing in the five years they have been competing, this is mainly due to the fact that they are rumored to have the largest budget of any team on the grid and as yet have not won a race. Team Panasonic Toyota have competed in 87 races and had two pole positions, a handful of podium finishes and one fastest lap. The team set up shop in the factory that the championship winning World Rally team used prior in Cologne Germany. Toyota has a proven record in motorsport winning everything they have competed in besides F1. Drivers - Ralph Schumacher (Germany, 6 Wins) and Jarno Trulli (Italy, 1 Wins) Prediction - It's considered by most, that 2007 is a make or break year for the Toyota factory team. The company is now supplying its engine to another top team in Williams, and if the factory team cannot outperform or at least equal the 'sister' cars throughout the year then Toyota may well withdraw funding for its own F1 team, and perhaps increase its support of Williams. That said, the team did show glimmers of performance in 2005 and 2006. Ralph Schumacher has underperformed since joining the team, and he commands one of the highest wages on the grid. Unfortunately for Schumacher, his contract expires at the end of 2007 and must show that he can perform on a par with his great brother (Michael). Jarno Trulli is something of a Jekyl and Hyde. He can be blisteringly quick in qualifying making the car look amazing, then struggling to maintain pace during the race. He must try to bring his Saturday pace into the race on Sunday. If he can manage, Trulli would be a strong candidate for wins. The car has been plagued by small technical issues during Winter testing, but looked solid when it did run correctly. I personally hope the team get it together this season. Long term F1 watchers will know that corporate teams never do well in the sport. Toyota could be the company to change that view, if they do then they could dominate the sport.In part two of the the teams and drivers guide, we will look as some of the teams that could improve this year to challenge at the top.Continue Reading, F1: A Beginners Guide - The Other Teams and Drivers.

Ashleigh currently writes for Naked Cleaner and F1 Blog. His interest lie in Technology (of all forms) and engineering. Day to day he does network security for living (yes I AM that nerdy).

F1, A Beginners Guide - The Cars

Ashleigh Charlesworth — Fri, 16 Mar 2007 07:02:42 EDT

The F1 season kicks of this weekend 'down under' in Melbourne. To celebrate the start of what is possibly one of the most interesting seasons in years, I thought a guide to the season and teams would be a good idea. I'm aiming this primarily at people new to the sport, however old hands may find it useful as a catch up to what's new and changed for the 2007 season. F1, what is it? Put in its purest form, F1 is the pinnacle of open-seat car racing. The machines are the fastest, most advanced, and most expensive on the planet. The sport is a truly international one, with the season traveling to such far flung places as Australia, Europe, the Americas and the Far East. The sports is one of the biggest television spectator sports in the world - with some 50 to 100 million viewers in 200 countries for each and every of the 18 races. Because of this, it can be said to be the richest sport on the planet. The top teams regularly spend in excess of 500 Million dollars a year on the sport, most of this funded through sponsorship agreements. Formula 1, as it currently stands, started life in 1950, although had been competed in since the 1920s when it was called European Grand Prix Motor Racing. The US audience will be best to liken the F1 cars and drivers to those of the Champcar/Indy Car formula. To be honest the cars share quite a lot in common, at least on the surface. The Cars The modern F1 car is a marvel of technology. This part of our guide will go through the various technologies the modern cars employ. Hopefully after this quick run down you will have more of an understanding why many people believe the cars are actually the real stars of the sport.Engine - The 2.4ltr V8 engines are capable of nearly 800Bhp at 21,000 RPM. This is even more impressive when you consider that it is on high quality road fuel not alcohol - the engines consume fuel at 3mpg. The engines have to last for over 600 miles on the track (2 race weekends).Cooling - A modern car has one large radiator at the front of the car, this is in contrast to the modern F1 that has at least three for the engine alone, with other radiators for ancillary equipment. This is to combat the heat generated by the engine. At over 100,000 BTU per minute (1 BTU per minute = 17.5842642 watts) the exhaust systems have to deal with temperatures in excess of 1000 degrees Celsius, and the radiators use over 650 liters of air per second. Gearbox - Obviously getting all that power down onto the tarmac is a difficult task, a task that is down to the gearbox and tyres. The modern F1 gearbox is around the size of a male adult fist, and in that tiny space it contains seven forward and one reverse gears. This is then connected to an even smaller clutch, usually of multi-plate, carbon design that is capable of handling over 900bhp. New for this year is 'seamless shift' technology. A few of the teams introduced this in last year's cars (notably Honda), and is the default for all the teams this year. A seamless shift gearbox has been deemed not to contravene the CVT (Constantly Variable Transmission) ban introduced in the 80s, but it almost eliminates the few miliseconds of drive loss, this is said to equate to around 5 seconds per race. Tyres - Tyres in F1 are like no other on the planet. They are not slicks as found on most open seat formulas, instead they are grooved tyres. Each tyre must contain 4 grooves around the circumference of the carcass, this was introduced to generate more movement in the tyre, and hopefully slow the cars down, it has however done no such thing. Tyres are designed to last for around half the race distance, and generate enormous grip. This year Bridgestone will supply all teams. Two compounds will be taken to each race, and the teams must use both in the race, they will be marked so watchers can see which tyres the drivers are using at any time. Aerodynamics - The aero packages of the cars generate massive amounts of down-force. To illustrate the massive down force generated by the F1 cars, I will compare it to the Indy Cars of the American premier single seater series. The Indy Cars generate a 1:1 weight to down-force ratio at around 120mph, this same balance is created at only 70mph on an F1 car, and at 120mph the F1 cars are generating in excess of a 2:1 ratio. In theory this allows them to 'drive on the ceiling'. Besides the engine, the aerodynamics are where teams spend most of their money, and gain most of their time. All of the top teams have at least one full size wind tunnel, and these are run 24 hours a day. Teams also employ fluid dynamics to test their changes in computer simulation before they ever get to the wind tunnel. Brakes - The brakes are capable of stopping the 600kg car from speeds of 100mph in under 4 seconds, and are capable of creating 5Gs of load on the driver at high speed circuits (the average performance road car is around 1 to 1.3g). The brake disk reaches massive temperatures of over 1000 degrees Celsius and are made from carbon-carbon (the same materials the heat shield on the space shuttle is made from) Construction - The cars are made from very complicated and specialized weaves of carbon fibre and other composite materials. The cars are designed to be very light, weighing between 450kg and 550kg including engine and driver. The teams then use a ballast material to bring the combined weight to the 605kg minimum weight. This is so the center of gravity and pivot point of the car can be moved around at each individual circuit. The cars have to be tested by the governing body for structural integrity before the season, and the drivers 'crash cell' must be able to maintain integrity even when subjected to massive forces Steering Wheel - This is one of those areas that most people will not think of when discussing an F1 car. However it is after all the most important one, as the driver uses it for control of the car. Each wheel is created specifically for a driver (much like his seat), and each will cost over 40,000 dollars to produce. The steering wheel contains all of the cars control systems, and driver display. From the wheel, a driver can not only steer the car, but change gears, change fuel mixtures, brake balance, traction control and all other system settings for the car. Summary With a little luck that should give you an idea of why F1 is considered, the "fastest sport on earth". In the next part we will take a look at the teams, and the tracks they race on.

Ashleigh currently writes for Naked Cleaner and F1 Blog. His interest lie in Technology (of all forms) and engineering. Day to day he does network security for living (yes I AM that nerdy).

WRC: Rally Mexico

Ashleigh Charlesworth — Mon, 12 Mar 2007 20:28:35 EDT

World rally has arrived in Mexico, and it's been a good season so far. We've had three separate winners at the three previous rallys, and to add to the excitement of the Mexico rally, Subaru has launched their 2007 spec Impreza.This year, Sebastien Loeb, the winner of the past two championships, has uncharacteristicly struggled. The 2007 Citroen C4 has not been the all-dominating car that the Xara was in previous years. Ford, last year's championship winning manufacturer, is again leading the manufacturer championship with two wins out of three this year, one for each of their drivers. Petter Solberg, the 2002 world champion, has his new Subaru Impreza this race, and traditionally the Impreza has been a good car on gravel races. The Ford too is a good car on the loose surface events, especially with Marcus Gronholm at the helm.Day 1 Marcus Gronholm started the rally as the leader in the championship, and so had to sweep the stages on the first day, a traditional gravel rally disadvantage, and because of that his team mate Miko Hirvonen is faster over these initial stages. Hemming Solberg had a flip on the first stage, damaging the car, and losing him three minutes on the very first stage. Loeb managed to beat both the Ford times, as did the other C4. Suprisingly it was the new Subaru of Petter Solberg that showed itself to be the pace-setter early on, clinching the first stage 2.9 seconds ahead of Loeb, with Chris Atkinson in the second Subaru in third, a further 3 seconds back.Petter Solberg went on to win the next two stages. Loeb could not seem to match the Subaru's pace, but his team mate Danni Sordo was closing slowly on the second Subaru of Chris Atkinson, currently in third. The two Ford drivers seemed to struggle with having to run through the stages first, acting as glorified road sweepers, and Marcus Gronholm and Miko Hirvonen were only able to manage fifth and sixth going into afternoon service on the first day.The afternoon session saw the two Fords battle it out between themselves, but running first on the stages, even in the afternoon (the morning stages are repeated) causes the cars to be slower than those that start further down the order. This is due to the slower cars using less neat lines when they ran through them earlier in the day, and actualy tends to drag loose material onto the racing line. Loeb managed to be the fastest on stages four and five, and caught up to Petter Solberg during the afternoon sessions.To add insult to injury for Petter Solberg, not only is Loeb faster but a rock went into the engine oil cooler and the new Subaru had to drop out. This handed the lead to Loeb in the C4, and second place to Chris Atkinson in the second, and now only, Subaru. The last stage, a Super Special, sees Manfred Stohl lose control of the front end of the car, causing him to slide off into the protective tyre barrier, resulting in him losing ten seconds, and allowing Gronholm to overtake him for fifth position going into day two.Day 2Gronholm should have been quicker on day two, as the Ford engineers located a faulty temperature sensor causing an approximate ten percent loss in the engine power of his Ford Focus. He showed that the car ran better by eating into the time of Dani Sordo. Miko Hirvonen was also quick in the other Ford, overtaking Chris Atkinson for second spot behind Loeb, who - with a 37.6 second lead - extended the gap to the others by finishing fastest on the opening stage of the day. Gronholm and Loeb traded fastest stage times for the next couple of stages. This allowed Gronholm to pass everyone except for Loeb, and take the second spot. He was, however, 57.6 seconds behind the C4 of Loeb.The second run through the next two stages saw Chris Atkinson's Subaru lose a lot of time. It seems that the new Subaru may still be a little fragile, but the pace of the cars of both Subaru drivers bodes well for the team; if the small gremlins can be solved, the car will be a championship competitor. Mikko Hirvonen also had issues on stage 13, dropping 30 seconds after loosing the back of his Focus and just narrowly staying on the road; this dropped him to fourth behind Daniel Sordo, Marcus Gronholm and Sebastien Loeb. Stage 14 is the last and longest real stage of the day. Miko Hirvonen managed to claw his way back to third behind his team mate Gronholm, however Loeb showed he was still the quickest driver and car package. Saturday's Super Special allowed Dani Sordo to swap places with Hirvonen for third again, which is unusual as there is usually very little difference in the times of all the competitors.Day 3Sunday morning saw the two Fords show a good turn of speed again, resulting in them claiming the fastest two times on the first stage. This allowed Hirvonen to overtake Dani Sordo in the second C4 for third. Stages 18 and 19 saw Hirvonen add more time to the lead over Sordo, now with nearly 16 seconds between third and fourth spots. The last Super Special stage saw the drivers challenge each other in a head to head race. All went well for the top drivers: Loeb managed to finish the rally first, with Gronholm in second - 55.8 seconds behind and probably annoyed that the Focus was not quick on the first day. Hirvonen claimed the third spot ahead of Sordo in fourth. Chris Atkinson held onto fifth spot in the first outing for the new Subaru, Manfred Stohl followed in sixth, with the last two scoring spots being taken by the two BK Stobart Fords of Jari-Matti Latvala and Mathew Wilson.

Ashleigh currently writes for Naked Cleaner and F1 Blog. His interest lie in Technology (of all forms) and engineering. Day to day he does network security for living (yes I AM that nerdy).

A Beginners Guide to MotoGP

Ashleigh Charlesworth — Sat, 10 Mar 2007 20:43:44 EST

With the start of the new MotoGP season this weekend, I thought now would be a good time to produce a guide to all that is MotoGP. This guide will help you understand MotoGP, regardless of whether you're new to the sport or a veteran watcher as a lot has changed this year. Rider Changes Nicky Hayden (Repsol Honda) - Born in Owensboro, Kentucky USA. Nicky is the reigning world champion, narrowly beating Valentino Rossi in the 2006 season. Nicky rides for Honda, and is the factory team leader. Although he is a title contender, he has been struggling on the 800cc RC212V Honda. Valentino Rossi (FIAT Yamaha Team) - The charismatic Italian team leader of Yamaha, Rossi finished a close second in the 2006 championship. Rossi is a seven time world champion in the big class (500cc and MotoGP). Rossi and the Yamaha are widely considered to be the combination to beat this year. Loris Capirossi (Ducati Marlboro Team) - The oldest man on the grid will lead the Ducati effort this year as he did last year. Loris is widely respected by almost every rider on the grid, especially Rossi. He may be an outside chance for the championship. However, he will probably be more valuable to Ducati as a mentor for his young Australian team mate,Casey Stoner. Marco Melandri (Honda Gresini) - Melandri is regarded as a talented rider, however he's never seemed to get the most out of his RC211V Honda 990cc bike. On a good day, he could mix it with Rossi and Hayden at the front of the race. An ex-winner in the 250 series, the new lighter 800cc bikes could be more suited to his tastes. Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda) - Nicky Hayden's young Spanish team mate. Dani finished fifth in the 2006 championship on his first year in the big class. He is considered to be one of the title contenders for this year. Kenny Roberts Jr (Team Roberts Honda) - The second of four Americans on the grid this year. Kenny is riding for his dad's Team Roberts unit. Last year saw him progress up the grid as the team managed to gain permission to use the Honda V5 engine. This year sees the team struggling to get sponsors, even though they have been granted the use of Honda's new V4 800cc engine. Colin Edwards (FIAT Yamaha Team) - The "Texas Tornado" is back again this year, although there were rumours that he would return to Superbikes after not seeming to be able to tame MotoGP's 990cc bikes. Colin regularly topped the winter testing time sheets, bettering even Rossi on most occasions. If he has mastered the leap from Superbikes then he could have a good season. Casey Stoner (Ducati Marlboro Team) - The young Australian racer showed that he could ride last year on the satellite RC211V Honda. The problem was that he seemed to have a little too much of an "all or nothing" attitude to his racing. This may have been curbed this year, as his older and wiser team leader at Ducati may be able to teach him a thing or two. If he managed to curb his enthusiasm and the Ducati is reliable, he is certainly in with a chance of the title. Tony Elias (Honda Gresini) - Tony comes from a long line of motorcycle racers. Tony is another rider that has shown genuine speed on occasions, but cannot seem to step up to the plate in every race. If the satellite Honda RC212V is quick, then he could be a fly in the front runners' ointment from time to time. John Hopkins (Rizla Suzuki MotoGP) - John is a good rider, he has shown this fact on many occasions. The Suzuki was considered to be the slowest of the factory teams last year, but John managed to finish fourth on occasion, and managed to set a pole time at Assen in 2006. If the 800cc Suzuki is a little more on the pace, then John could make his English parents proud this year. Chris Vermeulen (Rizla Suzuki MotoGP) - Chris is the second of three Australians on the grid, and another rider that made the move from Superbike to MotoGP. Chris too showed pace last year on a bike that had no right to be quick. He managed to set the pole position in Turkey and Laguna Seca. Makoto Tamada (Dunlop Yamaha Tech 3) - Makoto is one of two Japanese riders on the grid this year. The Tech 3 Yamaha is the only team running with Dunlop tyres, and due to this are at a disadvantage. Makoto is one of the small numbers of riders to win races in both World Superbike and MotoGP. Although not a championship contender, he could possibly challenge at the front if the tyres improve. Shinya Nakano (Konica Minolta Honda) - Shinya is the second of the Japanese riders in MotoGP. Shinya has made the move from his long term Kawasaki ride over to Honda. Shinya is a well liked and respected on the circuit. It remains to be seen if he can live up to the challenge of a new team after so many years in the Kawasaki fold. Carlos Checa (Honda LCR) - Carlos is a likable veteran on the MotoGP circuit. Born in Barcelona, Spain he has a huge following in the sport (Spain is one of the sports biggest supporters). Carlos could have a good season if the Honda proves to be quick. Randy de Puniet (Kawasaki Racing Team) - Randy is the first in the all French lineup at Kawasaki this year. Randy is well supported in his home country. The Kawasaki could prove a little troublesome this year as it is the first year that the factory has run the team itself. Alex Hofmann (Pramac d'Antín) - The only German in the sport and is racing on the Pramac Ducati. He replaced Sete Gibernau at the factory team last year for a couple of races while Sete was injured, and proved himself a reliable, quick racer. The customer Ducati is very similar to the factory bike this year, and could prove to be quick. Alex Barros (Pramac d'Antín) - Alex is back from World Superbike and racing for the customer Ducati team. That makes the Pramac team an all Alex lineup. Olivier Jacque (Kawasaki Racing Team) - Olivier makes up the second rider in the Kawasaki team. Olivier has been promoted from his test duties of recent years to the main team. Another rider that is liked in his home nation of France. Sylvain Guintoli (Dunlop Yamaha Tech 3) - Sylvain moves up from the 250cc championship. He has suffered a couple of injuries in testing, however it remains to be seen if he can take the step up to the challenge. Andrew Pitt (Ilmor) - The third Australian on the grid and another ex-Superbike rider. The Ilmor team has a steep learning curve this year, so do not expect too much. Jeremy McWilliams (Ilmor) - The only Brit in the 2007 championship. The Irishman is a much loved and admired rider, and is know for his grit and determination even if he's on a bike that's not on the pace. He is still the only Brit to get a pole and win in the MotoGP era of the series. The Hardware This year sees a whole new breed of bikes. This is due to the FIM (Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme) governing body trying to reduce the speed of the bikes for safety reasons. One of the most significant changes is in the engine department. Gone are the 990cc engines, in are the new 'slower' 800cc ones. There is also a change to the allowed fuel load: down from 22ltr to 21ltr tanks. The worrying thing is that the 800cc bikes have set new track records at all of their test tracks. This is partially due to the fact that the tyres have improved, and the engine can be placed lower in the chassis allowing for higher corner speeds. Honda RC212V - This is Honda's second 21st century race bike (hence the name RC Racing 21 21st Century 2 Second Generation V V style Engine). The RC211V was a 5 cylinder engine, and for the 2007 season the engine becomes a V4. The Honda has not performed as well in testing as was expected. Yamaha YZR-M1 - Although there is no new name for the 800cc Yamaha, it is certainly a new bike. The new Yamaha in the hands of Rossi and Colin has set records at all of the test tracks. Rossi used the Yamaha to win the annual BMW fastest lap at Barcelona. It appears the new chassis is better configurabled for the two riders this year. Roberts KR212V - This is the Team Roberts bike, and although the engine is based on the factory V4, the chassis is custom designed and built in the UK by the Roberts team. Kawasaki Ninja ZX-RR - The 2007 Kawasaki team is not the same as the 2006 one. The engine in the Ninja has been reduced to 800cc like all the other teams, but this is the first time that Kawasaki have run the team themselves. It used to be that Harald Eckl ran the team on Kawasaki's behalf. This means that 'Team Green' has a huge learning curve to overcome. Suzuki GSV-R800 - Suzuki struggled with advanced technologies in the 990cc era. It looks like the team may have got some of the issues behind them: the 800cc Suzuki in testing consistently performed well, and was up around the Honda times. Ducati Desmosedici GP7 - The Ducati team have proved that they do not need to stick to the V-Twin concept of their road bikes to create a good engine. The GP7 is probably the most powerful of the 800cc bikes (as its predecessor was in the 990cc days). Having the fastest bike down the straights does not guarantee the fastest race bike around the track, and we must wait to see if Ducati can sort out the chassis this year as well. Ilmor X3 - The X3 showed up at circuits late last year, and they were given permission to race their 2007 spec bike in the 2006 series. Ilmor is a much respected engine manufacturer (they produce the Mercedes F1 engine for McLaren). Mario Illien decided that he wanted to try his talents on another race formula, and with Eskil Suter (designer of the previous Kawasaki MotoGP chassis) decided to try their hand at MotoGP. Tyres The two main tyre manufacturers (Michelin and Bridgestone) are to be restricted this year in the hope that it will slow the development and pace of the bikes down over the year. Dunlop - the third supplier - are not restricted, in the hope that they will catch up. So what are the restrictions? The teams that run either of the two restricted manufacturers are only allowed 14 front tyres and 17 rear tyres over the course of the whole weekend. This includes the team's chosen compounds and qualifying tyres as well. The idea is that if the numbers are restricted, the teams will be unable to bring as many tyre combinations to a race. This may not appear to be a big thing, but the MotoGP tyres are possibly the most advanced tyres used anywhere; they contain multi-compound technology (for example: soft on the right side, medium in the middle section and then a super soft on the left) and come in multiple sizes. With a limited allowance, teams have to try to decide what to take to a race before the weekend starts. This means that they could get caught out if the temperature or conditions are not as expected. Summary A good season is ahead. Rossi will, without doubt, be the man to beat, but if one of the young up-and-comers like Pedrosa or Stoner prove reliable, they could well be the ones to do it. Then again, if conditions are right, the old boys of Edwards or Capirossi could have a last stand.

Ashleigh currently writes for Naked Cleaner and F1 Blog. His interest lie in Technology (of all forms) and engineering. Day to day he does network security for living (yes I AM that nerdy).

MotoGP Round 1 - Qatar

Ashleigh Charlesworth — Sat, 10 Mar 2007 20:15:47 EST

The new season of MotoGP brings with it a raft of changes. First, and most importantly, the bikes are now 800cc, and not 990cc monsters. This rule was brought in to slow the bikes down. Unfortunately for the organizers, this has not been the case. During the test season, the 800cc bikes showed that they are every bit as quick as the 990's, faster even, as all of the lap records were smashed using the 800cc bikes. The fuel load allowed in the bikes was reduced to 21ltrs, a five percent reduction from last year.Other changes are to teams and sponsors. Valentino Rossi has signed up to Yamaha for another two years, and it seems has brought the Fiat group with him as sponsorship. He's joined by last years team mate, Colin Edwards to add stability to the team. Honda's kept the current world champion, Niki Hayden and his team mate from last year, Danni Pedrosa. Ducati however have brought in young Australian, Casey Stoner to partner Loris Capirossi.I mention the Ducati change as it was Casey who won the first outing at Qatar. The qualifying session showed that around the lap, the Yamaha with Rossi at the helm was the fastest bike, in fact half a second quicker than last years 990cc bikes. He was however closely followed by Casey for second, with the other Yamaha on third with Edwards.Off the line, the Yamaha of Rossi showed it was quick as well, however Rossi was closely challenged by Stoner into the first corner. Unfortunately for Edwards, it looked like the bike bogged down on the launch. Edwards ended up in sixth into the first set of corners, and could not seem to make up the lost ground all race. Stoner sat on the back of Rossi for the entire first lap. As the two riders came onto the start straight (1mile in length at Qatar) Stoner blew past Rossi. It seemed that the Yamaha was quickest around the tight parts of the circuit, but the Ducati certainly had the legs by a large margin on the straight. Rossi sat and watched the back of Stoner for a few laps, and the pair pulled away from Danni Pedrosa. Rossi started to show his nerve by putting moves on Stoner, overtaking him at almost every lap till the end of the race. Unfortunately for Rossi, the Yamaha just could not live with the Ducati on the straights. Any time that Rossi put into Stoner, he just got overtaken on the straight, and most importantly, always before the finish line. Rossi, with two laps to go, realized this, and settled for second place. A deserved win for Casey and Ducati on the first outing of 2007. Qatar is a very strange circuit, and I would think that Ducati may have to curb the revs at some other circuits where full throttle is used more often. It's also the first time that the teams have run directly against each other. I would imagine that Yamaha will work on the straight line speed.

Ashleigh currently writes for Naked Cleaner and F1 Blog. His interest lie in Technology (of all forms) and engineering. Day to day he does network security for living (yes I AM that nerdy).

Review: Fuji FinePix A700

Ashleigh Charlesworth — Sat, 10 Mar 2007 11:13:46 EST

The A700 is by no means a new camera, having been launched in October 2006. It is currently available at a very good price point, however - around £80/119Eur/$157. The A700 is aimed at the home/first time user, and for this user the camera is good. However if you are looking for a camera to compliment your DSLR then this is probably not the camera you are looking for. I'll explain why, but first some specifications:Specs Sensor : 1/1.6-inch Super CCD HR at 7.3MPResolution Support : 3,072 x 2,304 (7.3M) /3,264 x 2,176 (3:2) / 2,304 x 1,728 (4M)/ 1,600 X 1,200 (2M)/ 640 X 480 (0.3)Video Resolution : 320 x 240 pixels ( 10 frames/sec.), 160 x 120 pixels ( 10 frames/sec.)Lens : Fujinon 3.0x Optical zoom lens, F2.8 - F5.2 - 8- 24mm (Equivalent to 36-108mm on a 35mm camera)ISO Speeds : 100/200/400 via an Auto modeFlash : Internal flash. Wide angle (Approx.1.6 -12.5ft.), Telephoto (Approx. 2.0-6.6ft), Macro (Approx.1.0 - 2.6ft).Flash modes : Auto, Red-eye Reduction, Forced Flash, Suppressed Flash, Slow Synchro, Red-eye Reduction + Slow Synchro.Display : 2.4" 112000 pixel Amorphous silicon TFT (around 91% scene coverage)Storage : Internal 12Mb plus xD Card (16Mb one supplied)Power : 2xAA Usability The reason I mentioned that this camera is more suited to the home or first time users, is that this camera takes the concept of KISS ("Keep It Simple, Stupid") to a whole new level. The Camera has no 'manual' modes to speak of, and in its default power up state uses a quite competent auto mode. This can be overridden, however it looks like the Fuji engineers believed that end users wouldn't be messing about in the menus, and as such have spent very little time on their design and layout. The point and shoot concepts of the camera work well; the zoom is easy to use, as is the display on the rear. The camera is a little large in comparison to some of the other devices on the market (for example the Optio A20 which I reviewed earlier in the year).Photos The pictures the camera produces are a little hit and miss. In good lighting, or under ideal conditions for the flash, the camera produces photos that are at least on a par with more expensive equipment. Its abilities under extreme lighting conditions are not so good. As you can see from the two pictures here (the right being the cleaned version), the photos do show improvement with just a little touching up. This however does not help in dark conditions. The camera just does not seem to pick up enough information for you to touch things up later. The camera 's macro mode is also a little hit and miss. If you get the distance from the object just right, it produces some good quality shots (under good lighting). There is very little noise to be seen in the photos, even when zooming in on the image after it's been taken. This shows that the CCD of the device is quite good. It seems that the downside to the device is probably due to the lens and software. The lens issue also shows itself on shots where the lens is at its widest zoom, with a noticeable 'fish eye' effect seeming to happen, however the usual bugbear with cheap lenses is the corners, and this shows very little chromatic aberration. Summary The camera is certainly not the best of the current breed, but it's not the worst either. It's certainly very week on the features list, but some novice users will see this as a positive rather than a negative. Framing of full frame shots could be an issue as the LCD display clips the edges, however this is not uncommon, and it seems to be the fashion to not put a proper view finder on compact cameras nowadays. The flash is powerful enough for snap shot use, but can be a bit of a demon when it comes to red eye. Photos, for the most part, are acceptable and after a little "photoshopping" look fine for most uses. This camera would have been better if a little more thought was put into the design of its various sections. The case should be a little slimmer, the software a little more grown up, and the lens perhaps a little more in tune with the CCD. That said, if these things were done I doubt the price would be as low as it is for this camera. Direct competitors are few and far between at this price point, the closest being the Pentax Optio E-20 or the Sony DSC-S600, however both of these are 6MP cameras and not 7MP, so not directly comparable. Conclusion If you are new to digital cameras, or need a compact and already own xD Cards then you could do worse than the Fuji A700. However, I suspect you'll outgrow it quite quickly, so it may be worth saving up and getting one of the newer 9 or 10 Mega Pixel compacts that are now available. It would be an ideal kids first camera as it is built well, relatively light and requires no setup whatsoever. If you cannot stretch the extra 60 pounds or so for the next level up, then this is certainly better than the 'no-name' cameras out there; although the lens is not perfect, and the software and features lack, it is still a decent 'bang for the buck' camera from a reputable manufacturer. Author's note - The thumbnail images link to the bigger original which are around the 5mb mark. Some of the photos have been touched up in PhotoShop.

Ashleigh currently writes for Naked Cleaner and F1 Blog. His interest lie in Technology (of all forms) and engineering. Day to day he does network security for living (yes I AM that nerdy).