Gadget corner

Shoot like a pro

Sony's top-of-the-line digital single-lens reflex camera comes with the world's first 24.6-megapixel CMOS (complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor) sensor. With the new Alpha 900 (below), successor to last year's Alpha 700, casual photographers have at their disposal 35mm full-frame imaging capabilities. Subtle colour and tonal gradations are captured as the eye perceives them, which is made possible by Sony's new dual Bionz image-processing engines. The intelligent preview function allows users to take a shot then simulate various camera settings. By doing this, photographers can fine-tune image settings in advance. The Sony Alpha 900 DSLR camera is priced at HK$22,990.

Green by design

You might get more power and performance from a less popular and cheaper name-brand computer, but Dell is pitching its petite Studio Hybrid (bottom) at environmentally conscious consumers. The device is about 80 per cent smaller than the typical desktop mini-tower, it uses up to 70 per cent less energy and comes with packing materials that are 95 per cent recyclable. Buyers also get a choice of seven interchangeable colour sleeves: bamboo, emerald, quartz, ruby, sapphire, slate and topaz. Prices for Dell's Studio Hybrid personal computer start at HK$6,999. Online buyers are being offered a discount.

The ringing

Ming It lacks 3G and Wi-fi connectivity, but the Edge cellular network-based Ming A1600 smartphone (below left) does offer Motorola's advanced pen-based Chinese handwriting-recognition software - which remembers a user's writing habits and can switch between traditional and simplified characters - and support for the Assisted Global Positioning System. The handset has a 2.4-inch touch-activated screen, an MP3 and a video player, and a 3.2-megapixel auto-focus camera with panorama and scanning capabilities.