So I decided to get the Canon PowerShot G15 to fill a void in my camera department and that is having a lightweight camera that’s still powerful like my DSLR to travel with. The first time I went to Las Vegas, I took my Canon 7D with two lenses (Tamron 17-50 and Canon 50mm). Not huge lenses, however it did require me to carry a medium size camera bag with me. Being out all day, the bag begins to get heavy. Then there comes the pain when needing to change lenses to get a quick snapshot of something. So after that, it was my goal to find a powerful camera, but lighter and smaller than my 7D when I travel. So I got a Canon T3i. Yes, this camera is lighter and smaller, however still the same issue as with the 7D because of the need to change lenses.

So I then began my search for a point and shot that I would like. Once I discovered that some point and shoots had a scroll wheel for controlling on the back of the camera like my Canon 7D, it became a requirement of my point and shoot to have a scroll wheel. So I stumbled across some Sony WX9 and really liked there set up of the buttons on the camera, the vivid 3.0″ LCD screen, the ease of quickly getting to panorama and video mode and the menu. I think I got it for like $125-150 and it had everything I have been looking in a camera except for manuel mode. I decided to look past this and still purchase the camera because I loved everything else about it. It did exactly what I wanted it to do and it was simple to learn the camera, which is why I decided to get one for my semi-technically challenged mother also.

For the most part, the Sony WX9 did what I wanted to do, however because of it not having the option for manuel and me not being able to fully control my shot, I would get some images that was darker or lighter than I would like. I would try to compensate by consistently changing the exposure, however it still wouldn’t get that perfect shot that I would like depending on how the autofocus hit. I got through two major trips with this camera through, travelling to the Bahamas and attending my first CES show in January 2013. The great thing about having a camera during a conference as massive as CES is that it makes your overall load you are carrying light and it hardly takes up any space. In fact, it didn’t take up any space in my bag because I had in on my hip the entire show. The bad thing was that I couldn’t always get some of those shots I wanted because of not being able to fully control the shot.

So I decided for the next conference I attend, which I will be heading off to Las Vegas for the NAB Show 2013 conference tomorrow, that I was going to go back on the search for a new point and shot with manuel option or either just take the bulk of my DSLR.  So I stopped by Best Buy to check out some cameras and I saw the Canon PowerShot G15. I had totally forgot about the PowerShot G series, but seeing the front dial on this new model made me buy it. Being that I had liked my Sony WX9 so much, I tried to look at their higher model camera that did have the manuel option, however, being use to DSLRs, not having the dedicated buttons to change my shutter and aperture quickly bothered me. I also took a look at the Nikon J1 and Sony NEX mirrorless cameras, however I would run into the same situation as with the DSLRs with the lenses taking up space and the need to have to change them depending on the shot; plus, it was a must that I had something that performed well in low light. My Sony WX9 started at f/2.6. This Canon G15 is f/1.8-2.8, VERY excited about that. So I came across the G15, saw the front dial and instantly knew this was the camera that would do everything I’ve always wanted and including autofocus during videos (yes, yes, yes; I’ve always shot video w/ a DSLR so I welcome autofocus very much, will pretty much be shooting all my YouTube videos w/ this camera now). I got a pretty sweet deal after having Best Buy price match Amazon which was $50 cheaper plus using my Reward Points and Gift Card I had saved up.

So as mentioned earlier, I will be traveling to Las Vegas for the NAB Show conference in which I get to see more amazing photography and video equipment and I will be using my Canon G15 to take all the footage, so make sure you check back to see some of the shots and see what this camera can do. This will actually be my first real test with the camera since I just got it, so I’m excited to see how well it performs compared to my DSLRs. However, I do think this is a camera you need if you are a pro shooter/serious hobbyist, but would like to take smaller cameras when you travel, but not lose quality and would still like to have pretty much all the same controls was you would with a DSLR.  So until next time aka next week.

So who am I?
Well, I’m just a young lady that happens to love checking out electronics and new gadgets to play with, specifically phones, tablets, apps and of course camera equipment being that I am a photography/videographer. I decided to start my YouTube channel to give more realistic tech reviews/my opinion on products than what the big tech bloggers/sites do because they tend to be a little more “political” with their reviews to put it in a way. I just bring a different style with my reviews and unboxings.

Why check out and follow my YouTube and Blog?
Basically, I just bring a different style when doing my tech YouTube videos at CheckThisGadget. I know a lot about the devices and software and could be very technical like how the big tech websites do with their reviews, however I like to do the more realistic, convo style type of videos/posts. Just my style.

What can content can you expect on the blog?
Well, of course when I do a YouTube video, you most likely will see it posted here, maybe not all of them, but definitely some. You can also expect me giving my opinion/my take on current news in the tech world and stuff involving photography/videography. For the most part they will be short blurb posts, like two paragraphs. However, for some news stories there will be longer posts. And I will always try to have some type of media attached to the blog post. And when I go to conferences, like when I attended CES (which I will eventually make a post about my experience there) and when I attend this upcoming NAB Show conference in Vegas, I will blog about that.

So bookmark, subscribe to my YouTube channel CheckThisGadget and leave comments or contact me on Twitter @CheckThisGadget. You can follow my instagram @CheckThisGadget for pics when I go to tech conferences/events (which I plan to go to as many as I can). I’m excited to share my opinion with the tech world; its definitely nice to be able to provide a different perspective to the tech world being that I am a young black females that loves tech products when most people who love tech as much as me are young white males.

Look forward to hearing from you guys and finding new tech people to follow.

So my number is currently on the HTC One S and I have been using the Galaxy S3 on WiFi. I think its important to have a great screen on your cell phone considering its a device that you look at quite often. The Evo LTE has a great screen, however, the GS3 screen is just beautiful. Samsung has been know for producing beautiful screens with deep contrast such as having dark blacks and vibrant colors. This is why my favorite screen on a tablet is the Galaxy Tab (I haven’t bought the new iPad yet), this is why I have a Samsung television and this is why I just ordered a Samsung monitor. I just love the way their screens looks.

Besides the screen on the GS3, I also just love the form factor. It is made of plastic, however it doesn’t have that cheap feel and the rounded edges feel better in the hand compared to the Evo LTE and One S. Those are beautifully structured devices by HTC however for comfort, I enjoy the feel of the GS3 without a case. Also, even though the GS3 screen is only .1″ more than the Evo screen (4.8″ vs 4.7″), it looks bigger and more enjoyable because its not as narrow like the Evo LTE screen is. The form factor of the Evo LTE is long and narrow and the form factor of the GS3 is a little more wider it seems. But you can check my review video between the two for more talk about that.

Its a great time for the phone market. It’s going to be interesting to see what Apple is going to bring to the table with the next iPhone this fall. From the rumor reports, it appears that they are going to go against what they originally said and go with a bigger screen, which I would agree it’s time to do. However iOS 6 from what I remember initially reading is not going to be a big facelift at all. So we will see.

In the meantime, I am trying to get my hands on a T-Mobile version of the GS3, then I will be complete….(well almost; I will really be complete when I can have a Windows 8 tablet). HTC Sense does have way more widget options and they have this nice additional feature in the data usage where you can track you minutes and textes which is pretty cool, but I need that GS3 screen. Right now, I’m carrying around both my One S and GS3…and when I get my hands on the Nexus 7, I will probably be carrying that around too. I don’t want to carry around three devices if I can help it, so hopefully I can find someone to trade with me for a T-Mobile GS3.

I have a few ideas for the site. In addition to posting some of the videos from my YouTube channel, my blog will focus on the product details, what’s new in tech and my thoughts on the new topics in tech. I am not a big tech channel currently and I do not have companies sending me products, so you can expect a truly honest and fair review when I give my opinion on topics and give tech reviews. Eventually, I will also be starting a weekly video called “Thursday Tech Briefs,” in which I will go over the new things in tech in a quick brief fashion.

So if you are not already, subscribe to my YouTube channel, CheckThisGadget, and bookmark the blog and check back every week for new material and my thoughts on tech.

The Kindle Fire is a nice tablet for the $200 price point and if you are active within the Amazon ecosystem. However, it does has its limitations. Watch the video to see if this is the right product for you.

Asus Eee Pad Transfomer (Unboxing) from Check This Gadget on Vimeo.

Going over the pros and cons of the HTC Flyer. Until the Blackberry Playbook get the basics (email, calendar, contacts, etc.), the HTC Flyer is the best 7″ device on the market, even with its mobile OS.

A lot of the hype around the HTC Flyer is ability for note-taking with their scribe pen. However, this pen is an accessory item not included with the tablet and will cost you $80+ tax if you want to use it. In this video, do a test between the scribe pen and a capacitive stylus to see if the scribe writes any better than the capacitive stylus would. You can get a capacitive stylus for under $10 and the scribe pen will cost you $80, however the scribe pen does have some additional features it can be used for. After looking at this video, you should have a better idea if the scribe pen will be worth the cost to you.