I’ve been published again – well, sort of.

Anyone ever heard of Schmap online travel and map guides?

Nope, me neither.  Regardless, I’ve allowed them to use one of my more average photos of a wallaby in their latest guide to Melbourne.

Apparently they are best known for their iPhone app and blog widgets, allowing people to quickly call up maps of whichever international tourist destination they happen to be traveling around.  The editor contacted me through Flickr, asking to use this shot to represent the Healesville Sanctuary.

At first I cringed, thinking that’s a terribly lit photo from a not very compelling angle (in other words, a snapshot) and wanted to offer her a bunch of really excellent flora and fauna shots from both Healesville Sanctuary and Werribee Zoo to choose from instead.  Then, after thinking about it, I realised that it would be best not to waste too much time on this as the chances of someone seeing the shot on their iPhone and suddenly getting the urge to contact Rock Portrait Photography, or even just take a look at more of my photos, is next to zero.

What this experience illustrates is that even though there are millions of photos and many thousands of subscribers on Flickr, there is still a reasonable possibility of exposure to those looking for something specific.  Makes me re-think my current view on what I post to Flickr.  Currently I post very little of my professional work on there as I don’t like the idea of it being open to re-use without my permission.  Even though I apply an appropriate  Creative Commons licence to all my images I still have to rely on people respecting that, as it’s nearly impossible to track down unauthorised use of online images.

But lets face it, the iPhone is kind of cool so having one of my shots occasionally appear in one is cool by association.

Samsung 10 Megapixel Camera Phone

If you are one of these people that thinks the more megapixels a camera has the better it is, and if you believe that you can take great pics with a cameraphone, then you are going to love Samsung!

The Korean smallgoods and el cheapo electronica manufacturer has cornered the mobile megapixel market by releasing the world’s first 10 (yes, you read that right, TEN) megapixed cameraphone. This is on top of 2004′s 5 mpx, and 2005′s 7mpx models.
There’s a bunch of other genuine camera functions including flash, 3x optical zoom & LED autofocus, as well as add-ons such as MP3 capability, TV-out, Satellite TV (probably useless in Australia) and bluetooth. And it’s small. I’ve no idea how well the phone itself works, or whether the software and buttons are easy to use, but if you want a relatively OK camera that takes better pics than any other mobile phone out there, then this is definitely for you.

Samsung SCH-B600 10 Megapixel Camera Phone – PhotographyBLOG

Now, don’t get me wrong, there’s a place for digital cameraphones, and occasionally I even wish I had one on me. However, the negatives far outway the positives in my mind. The colours always look so fake, the images plastic, and the response time from when you press the button to the time the shot is taken is woeful! My totally portable solution for those occasions when the DSLR is too big will continue to be a dedicated, quality Canon or Sony compact digital.

If you are not a photographer and only want to carry one gadget around, then seriously consider this one!

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Passwords, passwords, passwords – Aaargh!!!!

In todays’ digital, security-conscious world, there is so much information to remember.
Once upon a time it was only your bank ATM PIN. Now every web site you are interested in requires you to register, and your Internet Banking login details are impossible to remember.Then you have everything else that matters like insurance, drivers licence, birthdays, combinations, email accounts, memberships, emergency info. The list just goes on and on!!!So what gadget do I use to solve this problem, you ask?

I use SplashID for the Palm OS on my Treo 650.

Of course, you are unlikely to have a Treo, as Australia hasn’t yet caught on to this best-of-breed convergence device. But don’t despair – SplashID has a version to suit PocketPC, Windows Mobile Smartphone, Symbian (sony Ericsson), Series 60 (Nokia) and the Blackberry, so you should be covered.Now there are plenty of alternatives to SplashID out there. However every one I have trialled has been buggy, awkward or unattractive. I just keep coming back to this.
SplashID comes with a Windows desktop to make it easier for data entry, and you can even just buy the desktop, so that’s pretty cool if you haven’t jumped on the phone/PDA convergence bandwagon yet.

SplashID is probably the most important tool I have on my Treo, and is always be the very first installation I run whenever I upgrade.
Trial before you buy at the SplashData downloads page.
I think you’ll find yourself “splashing” out USD$30 in no time at all.

Technorati Tags: palm, treo, splashID, security, passwords, pocketpc, smartphone

Bluetooth Headsets for Women

Everyone knows that women have more style and class than men, and why should female gadget lovers be left with black, white or silver when buying their gadget of choice?

If you chicks want to look your absolute hottest whilst taking that train to work, exercising at the local gym or simply chatting to your best friends on your mobile, then you need one of these little beauties.

Any mobile phone with bluetooth capabilities can be “paired” (made to work with) one of these headsets. If you own an ipod you could also purchase the bluetooth adaptor for iPod to get your music through your headset, but I wouldn’t recommend it. After all, music should always be heard in stereo.

Guys – stay away. These are not for you (unless you dress in girls clothes on a regular basis). Of course, you should still be a nice person and buy one for your girlfriend or sister.

The BluePearls range of Bluetooth headsets give women a choice of lightweight and small units, and the LIFE model (which comes in three colours, strangely black, silver, white) includes nine colorful, patterned faceplates in the pack. One for every day of the week and two more for Saturday night.

You can pick these up from the BluePearls shop, and the LIFE model is ticketed at USD$89.95.
Currently, the ordering process is not that easy for overseas customers, but I’ve been told by Bluepearls that they definitely ship to Australia, shipping is USD$15.95 (USPS Global Priority Mail), and they will create an account for you inside their billing module if you email them your details (information@bluepearls.us).

technorati tags:bluepearls, bluetooth, phone, headset