Latest Posts in From the Lab

Review: Pentax Optio A40 point-and-shoot camera

Pentax’s Optio A40 is a 12-megapixel compact point and shoot digital camera. It offers digital and optical shake reduction, as well as high ISO settings and a 3x optical zoom. It’s also capable of recording videos at 640-by-480 resolution at 30 frames per second in DivX-based MPEG-4 format, which requires the installation on your Mac of a free software plug-in.

Fitting easily into a shirt pocket, the diminutive black and silver Optio A40 feels sturdy and well constructed. It lacks an optical viewfinder, which is handy for shooting in bright conditions, but the Optio A40’s 2.5-inch LCD, which just about takes up the whole back of this compact camera, is bright enough to get you through most situations.

The Optio A40 has a number of interesting features that are supposed to make easy work of difficult shots. For example, the camera has modes for shooting documents, for night portraits, and more; my favorite is the easy-to-access reduced flash mode. Pentax boasts of an enhanced shake reduction feature that takes advantage of the camera’s built-in digital and optical motion compensation. Both of these features were helpful in capturing photos of my kids during testing.

The included rechargeable lithium ion battery yielded 760 shots in our battery tests. The camera also performed well in our photo image quality tests, able to capture lots of small detail when we shot a resolution target. The camera was also able to capture clear, sharp images of our still life with pleasing color, with and without the flash. In fact, it was difficult to tell the difference between images taken in low lighting with flash and shots taken with studio lighting and no flash; often times invoking the flash will cause drastic color shifts or blow out the center of the scene.

The DivX movies were of Good quality, though it’s preferable to have a camera that shoots video in a format natively recognized by the Mac. To watch the movies, you can download the free DivX software player, or you can download Perian and play the movies in QuickTime. To import the DivX videos into iMovie ‘08, you must convert the video into a compatible format using the free ffmpegx software.

There’s also a problem with the bundled software CD that prevents the included ACDSee photo management program from installing. A call to Pentax’s tech support can get you a free replacement CD, but the software isn’t worth the hassle. Stick with iPhoto.

Macworld’s buying advice

If you consider just the camera itself, Pentax’s Optio A40 is a good all-around performer. It’s small and sturdy enough to take anywhere, and it has Very Good image quality and shooting modes that make taking pictures a breeze. Viewing the DivX-encoded movies could be simpler, but for those looking for an easy to use, pocket-sized camera, the Optio A40 is worth checking out.

[James Galbraith is Macworld‘s lab director.]

Review: MacWireless 200 Mbps Powerline Network Adapter

Before I dive into the review of MacWireless’s 200 Mbps Powerline Network Adapter, I need to clarify something about the device. Despite the company’s name, the Powerline is not a wireless network device in any way, shape, or form. It requires wires—electrical wires, to be specific. The Powerline uses the electrical wiring in your home to provide network access from room to room. It’s a nice alternative to Wi-Fi or a wired Ethernet network, and it works well for tasks like sharing printers, transferring and sharing files between computers, and playing networked games, among other things.

The setup for the Powerline couldn’t be simpler, but it’s not cheap. First, you need at least a pair of Powerlines; they’re sold individually, so expect to pay $200 for a pair. You plug a Powerline into a power outlet near your network router (which is connected to your broadband modem). Then you plug an Ethernet cable into the Powerline on one end, and into your router on the other end. (I connected the Powerline to a NetGear WPN824 RangeMax ($80) router, which was connected to my cable modem.) The Powerline’s indicator lights tell you when a connection is active.

The next step is to go to the room where you want network access, and plug another Powerline into an available power outlet. (I plugged the Powerline into an outlet in a home office where my Wi-Fi signal doesn’t reach.) Connect an Ethernet cable between your Mac and the Powerline, wait a few seconds for your Mac to recognize the Ethernet connection, and that’s it. This setup worked flawlessly; I spent more time moving heavy furniture than I did setting up the Powerline.

I also tested the Powerline in my home office with a four-port, 10 Mbps network hub in order to connect multiple devices. I connected the Ethernet cable from the Powerline to the hub, and then connected a MacBook Pro and a Dell laptop via Ethernet into the hub. Both laptops were able to access the network and Internet; but, as I expected, the hub was the speed bottleneck, and network access was noticeably slower than with a single MacBook Pro directly connected to the Powerline.

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Customized MacBook Pro benchmarks

It’s standard practice for Apple to offer customers to chance to upgrade processors, hard drives, and other components of its hardware line. These configure-to-order (CTO) systems are not generally found on the shelves of your local Apple Store; instead, you customize your order directly from Apple’s online store. The new MacBook Pro models released by Apple last month continue this CTO tradition, giving customers the choice of ordering a souped-up laptop.

We ordered a specially-configured MacBook Pro of our own. And while we only mouse-rate standard configurations of Macs, we still like to run CTO systems through our standard suite of tests. We believe this approach gives you a better idea of the type of performance bang you can get for spending the optional bucks.

As a refresher, the MacBook Pro models released in October feature a new unibody construction, DDR3 RAM, Nvidia’s Hybrid SLI technology which uses two graphics chips-a GeForce 9400M integrated in the motherboard plus a discreet GeForce 9600M GT. The standard MacBook Pro configurations we’ve already tested and reviewed come with either a 2.4GHz Core 2 Duo processor, 2GB RAM, and a 250GB hard drive in the $1,999 model or a 2.53GHz Core 2 Duo processor with 4GB RAM and a 320GB drive in the $2,499 offering.

If you don’t mind spending an extra $300, though, you can upgrade to a 2.8GHz Core 2 Duo processor. Other options for the MacBook Pro include a faster 7,200-rpm hard drive ($50 off if you downgrade to 250GB of capacity, or an extra $50 if you want 320GB) as well as a state-of-the-art (and expensive) solid-state drive that costs an extra $500 for 60 percent less capacity than the 320GB 5,400-rpm drive found in the standard 2.53GHz system.

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Lab tests: New 1.86GHz MacBook Air

At a media event on October 14, Apple announced a top-to-bottom refresh of its portable Macs. Along with new unibody MacBooks and MacBook Pros, the company also unveiled an updated MacBook Air that featured faster graphics and more storage.

The new $2,499 top-of-the-line MacBook Air has arrived in the Macworld Lab, and our test results show that while the many under-the-hood improvements have helped to make Apple’s ultraportable more competitive in terms of performance, it’s still a product that you buy for its small size and light weight, not its speed.

The configuration we tested definitely offers better specs than the previous top-of-the-line MacBook Air. It’s powered by a standard 1.86GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor with 6MB of L2 cache, as opposed to the custom-built 1.8GHz Intel Core 2 Duo with 4MB of L2 cache used on the original high-end MacBook Air. The speed of the front-size bus has increased to 1066MHz, and the new MacBook Air models use faster DDR3 RAM as opposed to the slower DDR2 RAM found in the original Airs. In terms of storage, the new high-end Air uses a solid-state 128GB hard drive, twice the size of the SSD found in the original Air.

Both of the new MacBook Air models eschew the original Air’s pokey Intel GMA X3100 integrated graphics for the much more powerful, though still integrated, Nvidia GeForce 9400M graphics system—the same graphics used in the new unibody MacBook Pro and MacBook models, albeit running at lower speeds in order to save power and reduce heat.

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Review: Epson WorkForce 600 multifunction device

Epson’s WorkForce 600 is a stylish multifunction device ideal for a home office or small-business with a copier, scanner, fax, and photo printer. It’s designed to compete with the speed of more expensive laser printer while still producing superior ink-jet photos. In our time tests, we found that while the WorkForce 600 is not as fast as a laser printer- it is one of the fastest and most well rounded ink-jet printers around.

Equipped with Wi-Fi, Ethernet, and USB connectivity, the WorkForce 600 can be tethered to one computer or serve a small workgroup. It’s easy to setup a wireless connection for tasks such as printing, scanning, determining the ink levels, and cleaning the print heads. Most of these tasks can also be performed using the control panel on the device itself, with the exception of scanning. We had problems with the scan button on the WorkForce 600’s LCD screen and could only scan successfully when using the Epson Scan software on our Mac.

The printer features a black design meant to not only look nice in an office, but fit into a home’s decorating scheme, much as a stereo or DVD player would. The 2.5-inch LCD screen flips out on a panel in the middle of the compact design, allowing for ease of use. Users can copy, scan, and fax from the panel, but also view and print uploaded photos from the three memory card slots.

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Review: Epson Artisan 800 multifunction device

The Artisan 800 from Epson is a photo ink-jet multifunction device that can print, scan, copy, fax, and print directly onto ink-jet printable optical discs like CD-Rs and DVD-Rs. You can connect the Artisan 800 to your Mac via USB 2.0, Ethernet, or over 802.11g wireless. We had difficulty scanning over a wireless connection, and the text printing on plain paper can’t be classified as laser sharp, but the photo prints and photographic copy quality will attract avid shutterbugs willing to look the other way on those small annoyances.

Physically similar to Epson’s WorkForce multifunction devices, the Artisan 800 is an attractive unit with a combination of shiny and flat black surfaces with silver accents. Its most distinguishing feature is its large 7.8-inch touchscreen, which allows you to navigate the menus and settings, dial fax numbers, and view and edit 3.5-inch previews of photos from inserted camera cards or USB thumb drives.

The device has two paper trays, one for holding up to 120 sheets of plain paper as large as 8.5 by 14 inches, and one for either 4-by-6 or 5-by-7 photo paper. You can choose between printing snapshots and printing regular documents without going to the printer to load the proper paper. The trays themselves feel flimsy, as does the folding paper output tray.

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Review: Canon EOS Rebel XSi SLR camera

The original Canon EOS Digital Rebel () was the first digital SLR (DSLR) to break the $1,000 price barrier. Since then, Canon has released other Rebel models with smaller bodies and larger feature lists, with the latest being the EOS Rebel XSi.

It’s easy to look at the Canon DSLR product line and slot the cameras into “beginner,” “intermediate,” and “advanced” categories But to call the XSi a beginner or starter DSLR is a misnomer. The XSi is an incredibly capable camera that just happens to be small, and it yields great images.

I’ve never been a fan of the smaller Rebel bodies because they’ve always felt cramped in my hand. With the XSi, Canon made a number of tweaks to the camera’s body and handgrip, making it more comfortable to hold and use than previous Rebels. If you’re looking for a lightweight, comfortable camera, the XSi is hard to beat.

The XSi also sports some important interface changes. The ISO control is now a single button located behind the shutter release. With the control in this new position, you can very easily access ISO with your shutter finger, without ever taking your eye from the viewfinder. Because the in-viewfinder display now shows ISO, you can easily make ISO tweaks while looking through the camera. The XSi also has a larger LCD than previous Rebels, which means some buttons have had to be moved. But all essential controls (Program Shift, Exposure Compensation, and ISO) are easily accessible while shooting.

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Review: Epson WorkForce GT-1500 document scanner

Epson’s WorkForce GT-1500 is a color document scanner designed to simplify the tedious task of scanning stacks of text documents in an office environment. Easy to use and simple in its focus, the GT-1500 does an adequate job of photo- and document-scanning.

The GT-1500 can quickly scan multiple sheets at a time thanks to an automatic document feeder (ADF) capable of holding as many as 40 sheets, as large as 8.5 by 14 inches. Although you’re limited to a maximum scanning resolution of 600 dpi when using the ADF, the benefits of having an ADF are clear: Imagine having to scan a 40-page document manually-opening the lid and aligning each sheet of paper individually. That could take an hour, and if it’s a task that’s part of your regular work routine, those hours add up quickly. With the GT-1500, it takes only 40 seconds to scan ten pages and roughly three minutes for 40 pages.

It’s easy to scan documents and use the included Epson software to tweak the scans before you save to one of several file formats, including PDF. However, we found the included Abbyy FineReader Sprint Plus OCR software could turn TIFF files into text files, but it could only process one page at a time, rendering the ADF useless. Alternatively, you can batch scan documents as TIFF files using the EpsonScan software then process them individually afterward using the OCR software-but that’s hardly convenient.

This is not a scanner meant for anyone looking to scan stacks of photos. The high-speed ADF is designed for text documents; photo-, transparency-, and slide-scanning are eschewed for a focus on multi-page documents and speed. Unfortunately, the GT-1500 can’t scan both sides of a document in one pass as can the more expensive ScanSnap S510M (). Both scanners can handle documents as large as 8.5-by-14-inches, and both can scan on average about 18 pages per minute. But the ScanSnap can scan both sides of a page in the same amount of time it takes the GT-1500 to scan one side. If you have lots of double-sided documents, the ScanSnap is the better choice.

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Battery tests: The new MacBook and MacBook Pro

Battery life is a key aspect of a laptop, especially to travelers who don’t have easy access to a power outlet. To test the new MacBook and MacBook Pro for battery life, we performed a battery-drain test by watching a movie clip ripped from a DVD to the laptop’s hard drive. We played the movie at full screen, with the screen brightness set to maximum to simulate the low lighting of an airplane cabin. If the movie finished and the battery still had power, we played the movie again, until the battery drained.

The new 2.4GHz and 2.0GHz Core 2 Duo MacBooks have comparable battery capacities, each lasting a little over 2 hours, 30 minutes. That’s plenty long for most movies, though if you’re watching The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring you might miss the end. However, these results indicate that the new MacBook has about 22 to 24 minutes shorter battery life than the old white plastic 2.1GHz Core 2 Duo MacBook, which finished our test at 2 hours, 57 minutes.

Since the two new Macbook Pro models each have a pair of graphics cards, we ran the battery life test using each one, resulting two battery life scores for each MacBook Pro. At the MacBook unveiling last week, Steve Jobs boasted that with the MacBook Pro’s Nvidia GeForce 9400M graphics card enabled you could achieve up to 5 hours of battery life, and 4 hours with the GeForce 9600M (the same graphics subsystem in the new MacBook). We’re guessing that he didn’t expect users to replicate those times while playing DVDs. Instead, those projected times likely are the results of tests that were not as demanding on the computer, like word-processing or Web browsing.

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Lab Tests: MacBook Pro benchmarks

Our test results for the new MacBooks made this point, but it bears repeating as we turn our attention to the revamped MacBook Pro models released by Apple a week ago: the performance gap between the consumer and professional offerings in Apple’s laptop line is narrowing. With just three points separating the Speedmark scores turned in by the entry-level 2.4GHz MacBook Pro and the high-end 2.4GHz MacBook model, the choice between Apple laptops is no longer based on performance versus portability. Rather, the MacBook-vs.-MacBook Pro decision leans more toward features and expandability versus size and weight.

Which is not to say that the improvements Apple introduced to the MacBook Pro don’t lead to performance gains just as notable as what we saw with the new MacBooks—in fact, the new 2.53GHz MacBook Pro is the fastest standard configuration Mac portable we’ve tested.

Here’s a recap of what changed with the MacBook Pro. The new lineup features a unibody chassis and Intel Core 2 Duo processors running at either 2.4GHz (in a $1,999 configuration that comes with a 250GB hard drive and 2GB of RAM) or 2.53 GHz (in a $2,499 system with a 320GB hard drive and 4GB of RAM). There’s also a 17-inch 2.5GHz MacBook Pro with a 320GB hard drive, though it comes in the old enclosure.

Memory is now the faster DDR3 variety—an improvement over the DDR2 SDRAM that shipped in the previous MacBook Pro models. Also, the 15-inch MacBook Pro models with two graphics chip choices—an Nvidia GeForce 9400M embedded on the motherboard and a discrete Nvidia GeForce 9600M GT. (The 17-inch MacBook Pro continues to use the GeForce 8600M graphics from the previous generation of laptops.)

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