Microsoft Lifecam Cinema

I just picked up Microsoft's newest webcam in their lifecam line, the lifecam cinema. I saw this webcam in the Staples flyer advertised for $59 down from $89, so I decided to do some research online as to how this camera performed. From what I could see, this camera seemed to be a bargain for the price, with many reviews rating it higher than the logitech pro 9000. The specs of this camera are excellent for the price. 720p HD recording, auto focus, and clearframe technology all point to this camera being good quality... and after only 5 minutes use, it is by far the best webcam I have seen! When using the camera in msn messenger, the picture is crystal clear, and there is no lag which I found with my previous camera. The noise cancelling microphone works great, and this camera is excellent in all light levels. When in a room that had no light source, you could still see clearly what you were looking at, I was impressed! Also the autofocus on the camera works very well, especially if you are trying to show someone small print. Just hold the type, or item in front of the camera for a few seconds and it automatically focuses in so clear that you feel like its right in front of you. The new lifecam software in Windows 7 is also much improved over the previous version. Your videos, pictures, or audio files now show up at the bottom of the window where you can play them, delete them, or have one click access to Windows movie maker to edit your video. For the price this webcam can't be beat, so if you're in the market for a new webcam, take advantage of the sale Staples has on now!

COD: Modern Warfare 2 Review

It's been close 5 days since I got my hands on Modern Warfare 2 and I gotta say it is highly addictive! There's no better word to describe this game than Amazing! The graphics, the detail, and action are phenomenal. Whether it be campaign mode, or online multiplayer, you'll definately be blown away. I started out playing multiplayer, which I prefer to campaign, and was surprised at the amount of detail in the maps. Multiplayer is one of my favorite aspects of the game, you constantly have to be on the look out for other players, and no one game is the same. I've now moved on to play campaign mode. I usually find campaigns boring, and just a pointless part of the game (I never played much of the campaign in Modern Warfare), but so far I've been impressed. The plot, although a bit hard to follow, combined with the impressive graphics make for one action packed campaign. I did find that you really need to pay attention to the mission between levels or else you'll find yourself somewhat lost, especially when your bouncing around the globe between Russia, South America, and the US. Fighting the militia in South America is somewhat chaotic, the opposition doesn't appear to have much tactic and attack at will. When fighting against the Russian army, it is a bit more difficult, they have a higher skill level in fighting. There is also coop missions you can play with friends, but are not a part of the campaign. I would have liked to see an offline coop ability in the campaign, but other than that, this game is definately worth checking out.

COD: Modern Warfare 2 (first impression)

I finally got my hands on Modern Warfare 2 on Friday after a wait that was felt way too long! I haven't had a whole lot of time to play it so far, so this will just be a first impression of the game. Previously on Modern Warfare I mainly stuck to multiplayer, which I personally find much more entertaining, and I have continued that with the latest release. My version is for PS3, and I have to say, the graphics are amazing! Gameplay is fast paced and the detail is incredible. It took a little bit of practice to get used to using the PS3 controller, as opposed to mouse and keyboard, but now it's becoming fluid. If you've played COD4 you'll notice that not much has changed in the overall look and feel of the game, the overall design is nearly identical, but feels more polished. If you're into war games, or loved COD4, you should definately get your hands on a copy of Modern Warfare 2! I'll have more information as I progress through the game.

COD: Modern Warfare 2

The much anticipated sequal to Call of Duty's Modern Warfare, Modern Warfare 2, hits shelved tomorrow (midnight tonight at Future Shop). I was lucky enough to get in on Future Shop's pre order sale, which offered the game for only $49.99, and will hopefully be able to change my order to in store pickup so I can get my hands on it tonight! Modern Warfare was, and still is, probably the most popular game in the series, and Modern Warfare 2 looks to expand on this games greatness. I can't wait to play it, and will let you know my thoughts on the game once I do.

HP Envy Series

The new HP Envy laptop series will definately make you the envy of your friends. The HP Envy, referred to by HP as the "Technology of Luxury" is precision crafted work of art. There are two models in this product line, a 13.1" model, and a 15.6" model. The Envy 15-1050CA offers exceptional performance in a less than 1" thin chasis. The heart of this beast is an Intel Core i7-720 processor that offers 1.6ghz quad core processing with 6mb of L2 cache, and a max frequency of 2.8ghz. The standard 6gb of DDR3 ram also aid in the multi-tasking process. The glass display is LED backlit and boasts and astounding 1920x1080 native resolution! To help power this display, and ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4830 chip is used, which offers 1gb DDR3 vram, and up 3835mb shared memory. The LED backlit display also use adaptive brightness technology which automatically adjusts the display's brightness for different lighting conditions. The integrated webcam also used IR LED technology which allows for video capture even in no light situations. The hard drive installed in this laptop is a 500gb SATA drive, and other features such as wifi, bluetooth, and dual layer dvd drive come standard. The magnesium/aluminum chasis is laser etched with a subtle design which makes it stand out amongst other laptops. To purchase a 1050CA, it won't come cheap at a price of $2199. One of the cons I did notice about this laptop, is that although it has a full HD screen, there is no blu-ray drive installed. The styling appears to be very similar to that of a the new macbook pro series as well. Overall this laptop is both aesthetically pleasing, and performance oriented, and I would definately reccomend you check it out. http://www.hp.com/.

Windows 7 Review

It's been over a week since I installed Windows 7 on my laptop (and since my last post) so I'm going to give a brief review. First off, when booting up with Windows 7, the process still is about as slow as it was with windows Vista. I have also installed Windows 7 on a partition on my desktop, which boots very quickly. There seems to be a correlation between boot time and the amount of programs and files stored on the hard drive. When using Windows 7, however, multi-tasking is improved in terms of speed and ease of use. The feature I like the most is the ability to preview, view, and close windows with the new task bar. This is especially useful when I, like many of you, have multiple tabs open on Internet Explorer. Now instead of looking through the tabs to find the page you were looking for, you can simply view the preview for all of the tabbed pages and click on the one that you wish to go to. You can also close different tabs without going back to the tab which is also very convenient. The libraries icon on the taskbar is also effective for easily gaining access to your documents, pictures, music, and video libraries. Above all, after a week of use, I would still highly reccomend upgrading to Windows 7. Also, for all the students out there, Microsoft is offering a student deal to upgrade to Windows 7 with an amazing price of only $39.99 Canadian as opposed to the $125 price in stores. Here is the link for the student deal: windows7.digitalriver.com/store/mswpca/en_CA/DisplayHomePage. thanks for reading