zds – random thoughts

If we ignore Vanjoki, who obviously is not up to his task, the N8 appears to be quite interesting phone-camera combination.

When you look at 200-250€ compact cameras, even the better models have sensor size of 1/2.3″. The N8 sports 1/1.83″ by this URL, so where the sensor size matters, it should compete with upper mid-r…ange compact cameras.

Obviously you can make a bad camera with large sensor, but sensor size sets upper limit to what you can possibly do. It’s also something that costs money, which is why practically every other camera phone has smaller sensor (and thus smaller optics) than N8.

Interesting.

How LARGE is the Nokia N8 large image sensor? Updated!.

Seasonic X-400 Fanless PSU | silentpcreview.com.

The Seasonic X-400 pretty much turn a new page in fanless PSUs. It’s the first one that can run totally without peripheral airflow, ie. it can actually be run fanless. For any other fanless PSU the fanlessness is pretty useless, because you need to add more chassis fans to remove the heat to keep them operating properly.

Still, for most noise-conscious users models like X-650 are more suitable; it runs without fan up to 250W or so and even after that fan runs smoothly and quietly. But for some special applications X-400 for sure fits the bill. It’s quite amazing to have PSU that has MTFB rating of 150k hours – that’s over 17 years, not possible for device with fan.

Another nice thing is that X-400 is the lowest rated 80Plus Gold certified PSU in existence. What makes it interesting is that 400W is pretty much the upper limit for single-GPU gaming machine, if you care about energy efficiency. Because PSUs reach their best efficiency around 50..80% of the maximum rated capacity, single-GPU rig with 650W PSU will spend 95% or more of the time at suboptimal load.

Now I just hope to see 400W X-series with a fan..

Some major advances on the field of bendable gadgets:

Sony’s New Flexible OLED is Thinner Than a Strand of Hair | Inhabitat – Green Design Will Save the World.

As technology advances, sometimes breakthroughs are made that both make our life easier and help environment. Recent introduction of so called low self-discharge NiMH batteries goes into this slot.

This far, when selecting batteries for your AA/AAA-run device (AA is what people call sormiparisto in Finland, AAA is one size smaller), you have had these options:

Disposable battery
+Not hazardous to environment
+Retains the power for years until used
-When used, lasts only for limited, sometimes very limited time.

Regular NiMH battery
+Rechargeable, can be used thousand times or more.
+Even one full charge lasts longer than a single disposable battery
-Hazardous unless disposed off properly (ongelmajäte)
-Charge wears off over time, so when you buy new batteries they start empty, and you need to recharge them often

Now we have these new kind of rechargeable batteries: low self-discharge NiHM batteries. They tackle the last bullet on NiMH cons list – they retain most of their charge for months.

Here’s some data from an independent test:
sorted data: AA and AAA NiMH low self-discharge tests–Round 2: Storage and Media Forum: Digital Photography Review.

So all in all, if you have high power devices like digital cameras or wireless mice, consider getting these new kind rechargeable batteries for them. I have used them for my cameras for months now and they indeed work. Normally if the device has been used for weeks, the batteries are in bad shape and you can’t just pick the device and go using it. With these new kinds of batteries you can.

As you can see from the link above, even if your device is used just one week after the full recharge, these all low self-discharge ones deliver more power than even highest rated normal batteries.

Here are the types I have used myself and where to get them:
1) GP ReCyko, Partco Oy
2) Varta Ready2Go, Clas Ohlson
3) Eneloop, Verkkokauppa.com

UPDATE:

Varta collects negative points by labelling several of their series “Ready2Go” and not clearly stating which of them are actually LSD batteries and which not. The ones I and some others have tested to work properly are these:

As technology advances, sometimes breakthroughs are made that both make our life easier and help environment. Recent introduction of so called low self-discharge NiMH batteries goes into this slot.

This far, when selecting batteries for your AA/AAA-run device (AA is what people call sormiparisto in Finland, AAA is one size smaller), you have had these options:

Disposable battery
+Not hazardous to environment
+Retains the power for years until used
-When used, lasts only for limited, sometimes very limited time.

Regular NiMH battery
+Rechargeable, can be used thousand times or more.
+Even one full charge lasts longer than a single disposable battery
-Hazardous unless disposed off properly (ongelmajäte)
-Charge wears off over time, so when you buy new batteries they start empty, and you need to recharge them often

Now we have these new kind of rechargeable batteries: low self-discharge NiHM batteries. They tackle the last bullet on NiMH cons list – they retain most of their charge for months.

Here’s some data from an independent test:
sorted data: AA and AAA NiMH low self-discharge tests–Round 2: Storage and Media Forum: Digital Photography Review.

So all in all, if you have high power devices like digital cameras or wireless mice, consider getting these new kind rechargeable batteries for them. I have used them for my cameras for months now and they indeed work. Normally if the device has been used for weeks, the batteries are in bad shape and you can’t just pick the device and go using it. With these new kinds of batteries you can.

As you can see from the link above, even if your device is used just one week after the full recharge, these all low self-discharge ones deliver more power than even highest rated normal batteries.

Here are the types I have used myself and where to get them:
1) GP ReCyko, Partco Oy
2) Varta Ready2Go, Clas Ohlson
3) Eneloop, Verkkokauppa.com