Nikon Coolpix P600 hits the 60x-zoom mark

(Credit: Nikon)

Birders, stargazers, and anyone else who likes to shoot pictures and movies of distant subjects, you now have another camera option to consider.

The Nikon Coolpix P600 has a 60x zoom lens, but unlike options from Panasonic and Samsungthat start at an ultrawide-angle 20mm, Nikon's lens starts at 24mm. That means while those other cameras stop at 1,200mm, the P600 can be extended to 1,440mm.

If that's not enough, you can use Nikon's new Dynamic Fine Zoom to digitally increase the focal length to 2,880mm. Keeping the lens steady probably won't be easy, but to help with shake you do get optical image stabilization. And there's an electronic viewfinder so you don't have to hold the camera out in front of you when shooting if you don't want to.

Those who prefer to frame shots on something larger, there's a 3-inch 920K-dot-resolution variangle LCD. Other features include a 16-megapixel BSI CMOS sensor, manual and semimanual shooting modes, and video capture in 1080i at 60 frames per second. Also, Nikon built Wi-Fi in to the P600, unlike last year's P520, which required you to buy an external adapter.

(Credit: Nikon)

Speaking of the P520, Nikon updated that model into the Coolpix P530. It has the same 42x, f3.0-5.9, 24-1,000mm lens as its predecessor, but gets a new 16-megapixel BSI CMOS sensor and a fixed 3-inch LCD, and, like the P600, can shoot movies in resolutions of up to 1080i at 60fps. If you want Wi-Fi, you'll have to buy an adapter.

Anyone interested in something a little more pocketable can look for the Coolpix S9700 with a 30x 25-750mm lens. You'll also get the same 16-megapixel BSI CMOS sensor as on the P600 and P530 as well as the same shooting capabilities (though you'll lose the manual controls over shutter speed and aperture). It has a 921K-dot-resolution 3-inch OLED display and built-in Wi-Fi and GPS, too.

(Credit: Nikon)

Value a fast lens over a long zoom? Nikon also announced the Coolpix P340 with a 12-megapixel 1/1.7-inch BSI CMOS sensor and 5x f1.8-5.6 24-120mm lens. It seems to be the same as the P330, but with the new Dynamic Fine Zoom feature giving you a digital focal length of 240mm and built-in Wi-Fi.

All but the P340 will be available in February, with the P340 following in March. The Coolpix P600, P530, S9700, and P340 will sell for $499.95, $449.95, $349.95, and $379.95, respectively.

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iPhone 6 Rumors: Apple to put Sapphire Display Units For The Upcoming iPhone 6

With all of the iPhone 6 rumors we have been reading about the past months, the only thing we need to know right now is its exact release date.However, it looks like the iPhone's spec rumors are still under way.

Now a new rumor suggests that Apple will place Sapphire displays on its newest iPhone.

According to9to5mac, Apple's manufacturing partner GT Advanced has just ordered stocks for an Intego Sirius Sapphire Display Inspection Tool. This would reportedly "increase the yield of high quality sapphire material from each boule and ensure that only high quality material enters the value stream.”

If this report says something, it is that Apple will place sapphire displays on the iPhone 6. And according to 9to5mac, Apple is very capable of ordering at least 100 million of these displays for the production of the iPhone 6.

Compared to the displays we have today, Sapphire ones are reportedly stronger and much more resistant against scratches. They are also thinner which would pave the way for much slimmer phones in the future.

If Apple is in fact planning to place these sapphire displays on its next iPhone, then it would really be something to behold when it finally launches later this year.

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Samsung S Health app update leaks in screenshots, complete with flat UI

Remember that refreshed Samsung smartphone user interface that leaked out a couple oftimes last month? Well that’s not the only bit of Samsung software that’s getting a makeover.

Some newly-leaked screenshots have revealed a new version of Samsung’s S Health application that features a new user interface that’s considerably flatter than the one found inthe current version of S Health. While the two apps are both fairly green, that’s where the similarities end. The updated S Health app loses the drop shadows found on the icons of the current app, utilizes a lighter font and generally looks to be more in line with Google’s design guidelines for Android. One other new feature of the new S Health app is a single screen that will display the user’s location, distance traveled, speed and audio controls.

Overall this new S Health app looks like it falls in line with the refreshed Samsung smartphone UI that leaked out last month, and while opinions on the updated look are sure to vary from person to person, I think it’s quite an improvement over the existing S Health app. Samsung’s TouchWiz overlay has caught a lot of flak over the years for being too heavy and cartoonish, and it appears that ol’ Sammy may be responding with a nicer, cleaner-looking UI.

It’s worth noting that these user interface overhauls are only said to be in testing, so it’s not clear when or if they’ll be rolled out to the public. Samsung is expected to launch its new flagship Galaxy S5 in the coming months, though, and I’d say that the company’s biggest smartphone launch of the year seems like as good a time as any to roll out a refreshed UI.

What do you think of Samsung’s updated S Health app? Do you like the direction that the company is going with this flat user interface?

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