It’s amazing that it hasn’t happened sooner. One of the reasons that the iPhone is one of the world’s most popular cameras is because it’s stupidly easy to use. It’s fun to use. You point at something, tap on it, and take a picture. You tap one part of the screen to review the picture. You tap an arrow to share your picture. It’s just so simple.

But that simplicity belies its powerful nature. It’s a camera that’s connected to WiFi, 3G, or LTE. It’s a camera that has access to your Twitter account and your contacts. It’s a camera that runs apps.

It's about integration. That was the core of the discussion I had with Craig Mclennan last night. He's the VP for the consumer division  for Samsung Canada, and while he's only a year into this role he has big plans for the brand.

So what is it exactly about Seth MacFarlane's works that keeps people raving?  Is it the filthy humour? Clever dialogue? Unique and lovable characters?  Unabashed self-awareness? Playful pop cultural references? Love it or hate it, you can't deny the impact MacFarlane has made on millions of people, and there's nothing that he won't try.  Hell, even live-action doesn't seem quite so far-fetched anymore.  

Connected cameras just make life easier. That’s the long and the short of it. But Samsung has done something a little different with the WB850F, adding in some powerful features to make this camera really sing.

The holidays are fast approaching, and we all know a busy parent or two in our family circle who could use a fab gift under the tree!   (I just happen to one of them! ;-)) If you're stuck for holiday gift ideas for parents, think about products that might pamper them, help them carve out some extra time in their day, or, make more of the time spent with their kids.  For today's time-strapped parents, finding time for real-life social interactions, other than with spouses and children, is challenging. 

Between working outside the home, doing housework, helping with homework, and taxi-ing kids' to their activities, parents rarely have time left over for themselves, friends, or one another. Technology like these 12 great gift ideas for today's high speed parents plays a huge role in helping them stay socially-connected and entertained.

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How can we tell when technology is enhancing our lives the most? When we hardly notice its presence in the room. With seamlessly integrated social networking features, unrestricted web browsing, and on-the-fly connectivity with your smartphones and tablets – the Samsung Smart TV Bundle can instantaneously unlock an entire world of online options, without ever requiring you to reach for your computer... and it’s currently on sale at a price point that’ll make your jaw drop.

The trend continues! Samsung has announced their very own super-shooter, the Samsung Galaxy Camera. We really need a name for these things–I’m thinking we’re going to follow smartphones and go with smart camera. That may be a bit too long though... smartcam it is!

It was Bieber Day at CES today as the re-bobbed Justin showed up to endorse mRobo from TOSY.  It's a personal speaker that has 2GB of internal memory and dances to the beat of your playlist.  It's still a prototype.  It doesn't come out until fall.  It costs $200. 

Still, TOSY got what they wanted, everyone talking about their booth and Bieber.

Here's what else my crew was chasing on the show floor today:

If you’ve got a Samsung SH100, released in the spring of 2011, then you probably know about the Wi-Fi features it came with. These included being able to control the shutter and a few other things from a Samsung Android smartphone. The new WB850 will be coming to Canada and it continues the company’s trend of going wireless.

in terms of features, image quality and versatility, Samsung's NX line can go toe-to-toe with most of the competition and in this range of compact ILC's but its higher price and relative newness to the camera market has kept consumers going for cheaper, more recognizable and more developed systems. Will the new NX200 with its new styling and 20.3 megapixel sensor and 7 frame per second shooting capability change some minds, we think so.

I don’t always do camera-related stuff on this blog, but I really should, since I’m a photo hobbyist and test a lot of cameras with my job. I’ve had the Samsung SH100 for about a week now, and find it to be an interesting mix of connectivity and performance that might appeal to those so inclined.