As a amateur photographer and tech fanatic, I enjoy playing with new toys, particularly those in the technology space. As a Mactalk writer we get access to all sorts of amazing bleeding edge gadgets and today is one of those days.

It's easy to get wrapped up in the Nikon vs Canon space, and forget to look around, but sometimes you need to realize there is a life outside of Nikon and Canon.



My 4 year old daughter has taken an interest in photography, largely to prevent herself being on the receiving end and I'll be honest and say that having a pro body ...

This is the third and final instalment in my Surface Pro 3 review. If you missed the first and second, I’ve linked them. The first part is a spoiler, I’ve dumped my iPad so if you were reading it to find out the result, I’ll save you reading the entire article. That’s the thing with Mac users, we’re user friendly. If you want the long drawn out windows version of why, read on.

It’s been two weeks since I switched to the dark side (albeit temporarily when I started) so I’ll give you an idea of where my head is at.



On the hardware front, I’m sold. As I mentioned in the initial reviews, it’s a phenomenal piece of work and Microsoft has done an incredible job with ...

This is the second part of in my installment/review of the Surface Pro 3. If you missed the first, you can find it here.

I’ve worked with the Surface Pro 3 for nearly two weeks now and I’m starting to get accustomed to the changes. Part 2 of my review is largely focussed on the operating system and usability, as hardware is only one small part of the complete solution.

On the OS side, Windows 8 on the Surface Pro 3 is a mixed bag. There are things to like and hate. A number of these are likely to be rectified with Windows 10 but the question is whether users can live with these problems in the interim.



I’ve tried to cover the good and bad of working with the Surface Pro 3. The reality is Microsoft haven’t found the right way to do everything. This is different to Apple’s approach where they would rather not provide a device or functionality that is unusable or sub-par. In some respects, Apple and Microsoft have a lot to learn from each other. Microsoft can learn from Apple on the usability front, but Apple also has the opportunity to learn from the way Microsoft is doing things, because with most aspects of Windows 8, they’ve chosen not to copy iOS and that is a good thing. It’s not just making another iOS copy like Android and that kind of approach forces thinking outside the box with some good ideas coming out.
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Forgive me father for I have sinned. I’m a Mac fan and I’ve been using the Microsoft Surface Pro 3 for the last couple of days and I intend doing so for at least at 2 weeks as well. It was never my intention to worship false idols, but it was shiny, metal and almost looked like a Mac.



It’s probably difficult for some Mac fans to understand why I would endure this type of “torture” but sometimes it’s good to look around. This is also as a result of my disillusionment with the current iPad release which I don’t believe meets my criteria. I’ve always wanted stylus use on the iPad and Apple’s failure to deliver is disappointing and has resulted in secoacnd rate experiences with third party styluses. Whilst what I really wanted is an iPad with decent stylus integration, the tablet alternatives are also disappointing. My tests with the Samsung’s Galaxy Note showed a delay on writing and I’ve never been a big fan of Samsung’s copytition business approach. Aside from Samsung, there aren’t many pure tablets that offer ...

If you were one of the ones that managed to get in on the pre-order list and had your phone delivered already, I don’t think this review will worry you too much. You’ll already have had your phone for a couple of days and you will probably have made up your mind. For those of you that haven’t received yours, I hope this review doesn’t make the decision more difficult.

When launch day arrived I had a 128GB 6 Plus on pre-order. I was headed up to get some bread and milk just before 8 when I noticed the store near our house was open and there were only 5 people in the queue. I decided to go in and have a look at the phones and that's where my problems started. Like most of the previous iPhone users, I’d wanted the 6 plus because it was bigger and better, but I hadn't really thought about how big was and how much it may impact the way I work. It's big and one handed typing ...

I have a love hate relationship with Apple at the moment. One of the things I both love and hate is the Magic Mouse.

When it was first released, I was very impressed. The momentum scrolling was great and there wasn’t much to dislike except the batteries. It chews through batteries like a high powered camera flash, and they die when you least expect it. Carrying batteries around is an annoyance that really should be confined to the Stone Age. The challenge with user replaceable batteries on items that go through a lot of batteries is that you need to carry them with you which adds bulk to your laptop bag, if you remember ...

Adobe's recent announcement of moving to the creative cloud has a number of users up in arms. Today we look at the implications of doing this and whether Adobe has made a big mistake. If you missed the decision, basically what Adobe is doing is no longer allowed users to buy software outright. If you want to buy Adobe software (with the exception of some consumer level products), you have to pay a monthly subscription.

I'm a bit of a mixed bag when it comes to Adobe. They make some really good products, and they make some horrible decisions to ...

International vs Local – When to push the buy button

Just over a year back, I purchased a substantial amount of camera gear. Since then, like any hobby, I’ve acquired a frustrating large amount of accessories so I decided to document my trials and tribulations of working with local and overseas retailers along with online local and foreign online sellers.

Quality of Service

Given the competitive nature of the market, you’d expect the local retailers to be going out of their way on the service levels to try attract buyers. In complete contrast, ...

Love it or hate it, Facebook is popular and the vast majority of people here probably have a Facebook account.

As an ex-pat who has lived in Aus for the last 8 years, Facebook has becomes a communication means for keeping family and friends updated back in my country of birth. I can post photos of kids and special occasions for friends and family to view at will without having to worry about inadvertently missing someone off an email.

FIPLAB have ...