| A brilliant little entry level camera
packed full of point and shoot simplicity. The iON 230 2.1 digital camera from
Polaroid might just be the camera that users wanting a simple camera to take
great pictures are looking for. Packed with features and in my opinion, one of
the best all in one arrangements quite possibly on the market, the iON 230 is
really a camera that consumers need to have a good look at when buying a
camera.iON 230
Features
- 2 Megapixel CCD imager for up to 1600x1200 pixel
images
- 5-element glass lens with fixed focus, 2X digital
zoom
- 1.6" color LCD monitor and optical viewfinder
- Compact and durable aluminum body weighs only 122g
- 3-in-1 camera for stills, video and webcam
- 16MB built-in memory and SD card slot
- Auto Exposure and color correction
- Built-in flash with three modes
- Powered by rechargeable 500mAh Li-Polymer battery
- Smart Dock/charger with 3-port USB hub and 2nd
battery charging slot
- Automatic image downloading, photo sorting
software with easy to use editing tools, instant slideshows or e-mail
photos.
- Windows 98se, Me, 2000, XP, Mac OS 9.2 - 10
compatible
Whilst I can say even at the beginning of
this review that this camera does not even begin to approach something that
the serious photographer would want to use, the novice or someone wanting a
handy little camera that takes nice shots will find the 230 to be up to the
task. Using 2.1 megapixels the 230 has a 5
element glass lens with fixed focus, making it perfect for those impromptu
shots that would fall into the point and shoot category. Using either the
viewfinder or LCD screen, it's just a simple push of the button and almost
instant gratification unlike some of the higher end cameras that will take
almost a second from the button push through to the apeture opening after the
camera's focus has sorted itself out. Integration with other Office applications
is key to this version and it's an exciting and innovative addition. It's
surprising that every year, despite how damn good these people make the
program they find even more stuff to add into it for additional functionality.
The program shines and is a must have addition to almost every businesses
software collection. Designers are going to be happy with the
native ability to import CAD drawings into your Visio projects and then work
on them in greater detail whilst in Visio itself, unlike where some people
would have to first finish the pics outside in their CAD program then import
the finished product. For those not in the know, this is the
second time that Microsoft have released Visio in their own right since
purchasing it. Users are going to revel in this release as it allows for even
greater sharing and working together than ever within the same document space
using the technologies provided in Microsoft Sharepoint site integration. It's
this sort of forward thinking that is revolutionising the way that we work
today in the officeless office and the instant gratification of seeing working
completed in real time instead of files being double handled. Programming automation of your shape
designs can be facilitated by working on the images with Visual Basic for
applications. Another bonus of this new Visio is the inclusion of a lot more
templates to work with. These are the lifeblood of the software and Visio Pro
2003 caters to all users whether home or professional. For those who are new to the software,
installation should be a breeze as Microsoft have gone to great lengths to
make sure that there is a uniformity to all their productivity products in
both appearance and interface. No one should feel at all alienated during the
install process; it's quick, easy and over before you know it. Some menu changes have been made in this
version that do differ from the previous effort such as the main command of
Choose Stencil has been replaced with Choosing Shapes. It makes more sense
this way has that is precisely what you are doing. It's all about streamlining
and simplifying the whole process of a package that might appear to be a bit
too much for first time users who are not familiar with the ease one can use
Visio's powerful features. | 
