Linked List: June 11, 2008

Wednesday, 11 June 2008

Leica M8 Field Test, Iraq 

Photojournalist Michael Kamber’s detailed and rather scathing review of the Leica M8:

My first disappointment with the M8 occurred the first time I put a lens on it. The 28mm focal length is my most commonly used optic, as it is for many photojournalists. Taking into account the 1.33 multiplication factor of the M8, a 21mm lens will give an approximately 28mm equivalent field of view. It would be logical therefore for the Leitz 21mm lens (six-bit coded ASPH, $4,000) to trip the 28mm frame lines in the M8 finder. It does not. Instead it activates a frame line equivalent to approximately 35mm.

I was told, “Well you just use the whole finder — it’s approximate.” It seems unreasonable that for $10,000 I have to guess at the composition or use an external viewfinder. The M6 and M7 had an accurate 28mm frameline; the M8 does not.

It gets worse from there. Really disappointing low-light performance, for example.

AT&T Memo on iPhone 3G 

Boy Genius Report has an AT&T memo regarding their iPhone 3G policies. Here’s an interesting bit on activation, which suggests that it might be possible to do most of it at home:

The new 3G device will be activated in store in both AT&T and Apple stores.  Customers must accept AT&T and Apple Ts & Cs, sign a 2-year agreement, and select the data plan for the iPhone 3G before leaving the store.  The current iTunes activation process will no longer be required for iPhone 3Gs, however a short tether process to unbrick the 3G device will be performed in all AT&T stores (tether cords will be provided).  Apple stores will also perform this tether process, however in the event that a customer’s device is not tethered in the Apple store, their device will be inoperable until they get home and tether through iTunes.  Prepaid and Pick Your Plan will not be allowed on the 3G device.

Contract-Free iPhone 3G Price in Italy: €499 

Vodafone Italia:

The 3G iPhone will be available to both contract customers, based on particularly simple price plans, and to pay-as-you-go users, and will include a wide range of data offerings. By choosing a contract price plan, such as iPhone Vodafone Facile, it will be possible, for example, to have an Apple phone at a particularly attractive price. People preferring a pre-pay plan for private users can buy the 8Gb iPhone for €499 or the 16GB model for €569.

€499 is around $775 today.

Safari 4 Preview 

Alex Brooks has info on Safari 4, a developer preview of which Apple is distributing here at WWDC. Most of the new stuff is in WebKit (and, thus, in WebKit nightlies) but there are a few new browser features, including a “Save this page as a standalone web app” thing that pretty much obviates Fluid.