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Just got the CST2 second generation CyberSync Wireless Transmitter from Paul C Buff, and decided to do a quick comparison video with the first generation CyberSync CST.

Li Fan Photography is pleased to announce the newest service offering: 4K Aerial Drone Videography and Photography Service!

Utilizing the most technologically advanced aerial drones, we are able to provide comprehensive aerial coverage for real estate,events weddings and portraiture videography and photography needs. All with the power of 4K Ultra HD resolution videos.

Stay tuned for more 4k footage previews!

This will be a random post of the day, and I hope this article can help other IT professionals in solving this issue quickly and efficiently when installing any Java Runtime from the file downloaded on Java.com on a Windows 10 OS (May also work for Windows 8/7 and beyond)

Issue:
When you click the java installation file, either the online install version or the offline install version (ie JavaSetup8u60.exe), the system opens a dialog and it appears to be completely blank like below:

The only way to exit is by clicking the “X” to close the window, and when you do, the system will ask if you want to exit Java installation.

Solution:

After trying to change compatibility modes a few times, changing admin rights, and change desktop themes to see if it was a visual glitch, my final attempt was to proceed to using the command line mode to open the troubled file.

1. Copy the java install file to C:\ drive’s root location, you may encounter the permission dialog, select yes to proceed
2. Open Command Prompt dialog with admin rights by typing cmd in Start Menu, once the cmd icon is shown, right click on it and select “Run as administrator” 
3. In cmd line window, type cd\ then type C: to make sure you are at the c:\ root location
4. Now type the java installation file’s name (ie: JavaSetup8u60.exe)

If you entered the filename correctly, it should open the java installation dialog, except this time it is not blank anymore (Hooray!)

I hope this tutorial can help someone who are having similar trouble installing Java runtime.

Java Setup Window Blank Fix! java install window blank fix windows 10, 8, 7

Lenovo Thinkpad Yoga Review

I’ve recently got the Lenovo ThinkPad Yoga for business travel, and I absolutely love the design.  The Macbook Pro I’ve had before just don’t feel right in hand, and the keyboard and trackpad on the macbook pro is absolutely horrendous for prolonged use, not to mention the utterly ugly low res non-touch screen (exclude the overly priced retina models)

What I really like about the thinkpad yoga:

• Brilliant flip design, the Thinkpad Yoga can also be used as a tablet
• Super comfortable keyboard
• Wacom pressure sensitive pen for retouching in photoshop
• Excellent touchpad.  I miss the legendary physical buttons, but this touchpad is workable.
• Speedy performance (top of the line model features a Intel Core i7 4600u processor)
• Superior build quality (coated magnesium exterior and magnesium roll cage throughout)
• Anti-Glare IPS 1080p HD LED Screen with excellent viewing angle.

What I want to see improved:

• Speaker is sub-par
• Memory tops out at 8GB and it’s non-user serviceable
• Wacom pen is not very comfortable to hold (too thin and short)
• Just a tad bit heavy compared to the competition

Enough said, here are some photos that shows the beauty of the Thinkpad design.  And as always, you can purchase one directly from Amazon

So how does the battery life of Apple’s iPhone 4S on Sprint’s CDMA network perform?

Read below to find out!

Here is my usage very first day till next morning.  Phone was charged to 100% then used regularly till it died at 1%.

Only about 20-30min talk time, and mostly just surf and netflix.  While on netflex, it’s amazing that the phone only used about 4-5% of battery for half an hour of video…  The thing I find it uses most battery is when I did intensive wifi and 3G speed tests thing droped 10% in less than 20 min (which you can see screenshot of the test result on my website here:

And some videos I’ve made compareing my old captivate and new iphone 4s sprint version)
watch?v=WSsa50U0FfI&feature=feedu

3G speed test, AT&T vs Sprint, Indoor, less than ideal signals.
watch?v=BjPlN19Bawk&feature=feedu

PS, I always thought sprint had better 3G than AT&T, but I guess not, it is a tad bit slower, however, coverage is definitely better at my office location (4 bars on Sprint vs 1-2 bars on AT&T… now just need to wait for the LTE deployment next year and the iPhone 5……

I hope this helps you guys in making your purchasing decisions.

Update

After a day of use, battery life has improved somewhat, lasting me at least 1.5 days of regular usage (internet browsing, maps, fb, talk and txt, no push emails though) See screenshot below:

Despite recent articles claiming that Sprint’s newly released CDMA iPhone 4S will not have a removeable Micro SIM slot, the rumors are wrong! My Sprint iPhone 4S does come with a removable SIM slot. However, it is entirely up to Sprint or Unlocking community’s mercy to have the phone Unlocked to be used aboard with local mobile carriers.

Update:  I tried to put a AT&T Micro SIM card in the slot, it appears that the phone is indeed carrier locked and will ask you to activate the phone at Sprint store with the foreign SIM card.  Also when plugged and connected to iTunes with AT&T SIM on Sprint iPhone 4S, iTunes will simply tell you that the phone is SIM Locked and won’t sync the phone!  So for now the SIM slot is a useless function on Sprint iPhone 4S

Some additional views of the iPhone 4S with a compact kick stand for watching videos on the move.

Just got a hang on engraving using a Newing Hall 350 engraving machine paired with Engravelab, so I tried to engrave a futurama scene onto my ipod nano, here is the result.  Should have used a 100 degree diamond drag needle instead of 120, finer lines and details.

Also did engraved a USB cufflink with USB logo

And one more from actual client request, shown with orignal logo and finalized vector graph

Photographed this vinyl album as part of a prop for a product that we carry, then went ahead and shoot Abbey Road as well, result is below.

I’m a big fan of the ThinkPad’s tough industrial design and bold style. And I’m lucky to obtain a ThinkPad myself just recently. The keyboard is legendary, I’ve never used any laptop with such comfortable keyboard. The business oriented laptop also features two pointing devices, a trackpad and a trackpoint. Both devices even have their own buttons. That’s lavish! The LCD display is asymmetrically placed on the laptop; it’s pretty obvious when the screen is not turned on, but during actual use, you do not notice it at all, a nice design touch. There is even a LED keyboard light that could be turned on when laptop is been used in the dark. I personally think this design is superior to illuminated keyboard, because you can actually read documents using the light, while a illuminated keyboard would do nothing for ya.

Lenovo’s technical support for the laptop is also top notch, the System Update software automatically picks correct programs for your ThinkPad, and update them through Lenovo’s server automatically. There is a technology called “ThinkVantage Active Protection”, which automatically monitor’s the laptop’s hard drive, and shut it down instantly in the event of an accident where you might have dropped your laptop, thus prevent data lose. An integrated fingerprint reader further enhances overall security by accepting your fingerprints as a source of authentication.

Performance wise, The ThinkPad T61 features a fast core 2 duo processor, upgradable to a relatively modern intel T9600 mobile processor. But even with its stock setup, which features a T7500 2.2ghz processor, the system runs windows 7 64bit very smoothly and play back HD contents just fine.

Sure there are some small quirks that need to be sorted out, such as the placement of USB ports are not ideal, and there is only a VGA output instead of a DVI port (although you can solve both problems with a docking station attached). The battery life is also not ideal, unless you use a 9-cell extended battery, which adds a significant amount of weight to your machine.

The Canon PowerShot S90 is Canon’s best high end S-Series compact point and shoot digital camera.  Using the exact same sensor as Canon’s top of the line point & shoot, the PowerShot G11, the S90 delivers incredibly usable results in higher ISO (up to 3200) segment where most other point and shoot cameras would simply fail.  Canon achieves better noise control through both hardware (larger than usual  1/1.7″ CCD sensor with 24MP pixel density) and software means (Digic 4 Processor and Canon’s DPP image editing software).

I’ll try to sum up some pros and cons of this camera after using it for a few days.

Start with Pros:

Excellent noise control, usable images up to ISO 3200; resolution below iso 1600 comparable to a DSLR.
Compact – will slip into your jean pocket, but don’t sit with it.
Digic 4 Engine automatically corrects for lens distortion in JPG RAW(only by using DPP) and Movie Recording.
Useful front rotating dial, accompanied with the control dial on the back of the camera, allows control of 2 variable factors (ie. F stop & Shutter Speed, or ISO & Scene Selection) easily.
Plenty of manual control, as well as a handful of fully automatic modes and scenery recognition system.
Useful face recognition, great for parties and get togethers, not so good for selective focus.
Plastic LCD front protective glass, less likely to crack, but respectable to scratches.
Highly customizable white balance settings.
Ability to shoot RAW data

Despite been a very capable camera, the S90 falls short in a few areas:

Incredibly short battery life – less than 180 shots in cold weather. about 200 in normal temp.  You’ll want to have at least one backup battery with you.
No HD Movie recording capability – most entry level P&S cameras got HD, why not this one?
No autofocus or zooming during movie recording, basically renders movie recording useless.
Back control dial is easily moved around by accident when holding the camera, resulting in unwanted exposure adjustments.
On/Off button in an awkward position (right in middle of top cover), hard to reach for.
Automatic popup flash will almost always get into your way, based on the way we hold our cameras.
At telephoto end of zoom, aperture drops to F4.9 wide open, and max out at F8, very slow indeed.
Noticeable shutter lag, autofocus may not lock when subject is moving.
Lens distortion is not automatically corrected in RAW if not using Canon Supplied image editing program (DPP)

It may seem like the cons are overwhelming the pros, but you should not be discouraged, this is by far the best compact point and shoot I have used.

Sample Gallery (snapshots made using this camera) http://vip.liography.com/Snapshots/s90/

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