NorthGeek

Hands-on review: DigiFinder.pro LCD viewfinder

We at NorthGeek are pretty lucky. All we ever do is geek out on tech, gadgets, cars, sports, apparel, and more – and sometimes, we have companies (like DigiFinder, for example) who send us products to review and GIVE AWAY TO OUR READERS!

This review covers the DigiFinder.pro LCD viewfinder, a $60 must-have accessory for HDSLR owners. The one featured in the video is for our Canon Rebel T2i (or 550D for our European readers), but we have two other sizes – a 2.7″ inch and 3″ variant – to be given away to two lucky readers/Twitter followers. To win the DigiFinder.pro model of your choice, simply leave us a comment below or on the YouTube page of this review, with why YOU deserve this free HDSLR LCD viewfinder. That’s it, that’s all! Winners will be selected by Christmas Day.

Also, if you’re Canadian and want these DigiFinder.pro LCD viewfinders to be more readily available up here in Canada, please let us hear it in the comments! NorthGeek may just start bringing them in for sale up in the Great White North!

Enjoy the review, below:

Also worth noting, the DigiViewer eyecup is now available for sale! It’s $25 USD. Here’s what it looks like:

Cliff Your Ride contest winner VIDEO

AutoTrader.ca’s Cliff Your Ride contest was won by a Montrealer with a 1992 Volvo 240 Wagon. I’m not sure why he says Sherbrooke is 2,000km from Montreal, but hey – if I’m going to see a car fly off a cliff, then I’ll watch! Enjoy:

TIMEX Canada Wants to Hear Your Greatest TIMEX Stories

Here at NorthGeek, we get a lot of requests to promote contests and events that would be of interest to Canadians in general, tech geeks, outdoor enthusiasts, and more. We were recently sent this press release from TIMEX Canada – makers of innovative timepieces – and thought that our fellow NorthGeeks would be interested in taking part in this fun contest that comes with a chance to win a trip to either Paris, St. Lucia or Costa Rica. Not too shabby!! The official press release (including full contest details) follows:

Toronto, ON (May 13, 2010) – For the last 150 years, Canadians have collected stories about TIMEX timepieces that have survived bear attacks, thousands of volts of electricity and decades under water. TIMEX Canada, makers of the most durable and fashionable watches, wants to hear about your favourite TIMEX story. From extreme adventurers who constantly attest that their TIMEX takes a licking and keeps on ticking, to those who rely on their favourite timepiece to keep them on schedule – we want to hear your story.

TIMEX is asking Canadians to go to www.TIMEXstories.ca and share your TIMEX story with the rest of Canada. One lucky entrant will win a trip to either Paris, St. Lucia or Costa Rica.

“TIMEX has a long and rich heritage of providing Canadians some of the most dependable and durable timepieces ever created,” said Adam Mintz, Brand Manager for TIMEX Group Canada Inc. “For years now people have been quietly sending us their stories of how their TIMEX kept them on time, helped them find their way home or just wouldn’t stop working. We wanted to create a forum for both long time TIMEX users and new users alike to talk about their adventures and see just how far other Canadians have taken their favourite TIMEX timepiece.”

“TIMEX has been the dependable timepiece that people have insisted on having with them. TIMEX has been with you for birthdays and getaways for your grand adventures and great nights at home and now we want to hear all about it,” continued Mintz.

Canadians can visit www.TIMEXstories.ca to share their stories and an image of their favourite TIMEX timepiece, read stories from others and rate their favourite stories. The overall winner will be chosen by TIMEX Canada based on the Top 10 entries as rated by Canadians. The overall winner will be announced in late June 2010.

How you can win –
There are three of ways that you can be a winner in the TIMEX Stories contest. First, you can throw your hat into the ring by submitting your own TIMEX story and letting the rest of Canada rate your story for your chance to win your choice of one of our three amazing vacations. Secondly, by submitting your TIMEX Story at www.TIMEXstories.ca you are automatically entered for your chance to win one of five random draws for a $200 credit towards the purchase of your next TIMEX timepiece. Finally if you don’t think you have a story that will get you to the top of the charts, don’t worry. When you go to www.TIMEXstories.ca and rate some of the great stories we have received, you will be entered into a secondary draw for one of five $200 TIMEX prize package – so you can start creating your own TIMEX stories.

Win a Year of Ben & Jerry’s, Name Their New Canadian Flavour

If your suggestion for Ben & Jerry’s new flavour is selected, you can win one year of ice cream. You can now submit your idea on their Facebook page. The winner will be announced in late July — by then, you’ll be really overheated and wanting some ice cream.

Note: it’s a great, fun contest, but I think we’re all a little bit more weary about adding Facebook applications to our profiles these days, and this is exactly what you have to do to enter this contest.

Update June 3 2010: Ben & Jerry’s is launching a new flavour: “Ben & Jerry’s is taking to the ice in a whole new way this summer. Teaming up with NHLPA Goals & Dreams, Ben & Jerry’s is launching their newest Canadian flavour – Caramel Hat Trick – in support of grassroots hockey programs across the country. A triple-threat of caramel ice cream with a caramel swirl and fudge covered caramel chunks, Caramel Hat Trick is helping kids “hit the ice” in a whole new way! For every pint of Caramel Hat Trick sold, a portion of the proceeds will be directed to grassroots hockey to help young Canadians across the country realize their hockey potential.”

Vancouver Schools to rally community to recycle E-waste this Earth Day

NorthGeek has been made aware of an excellent initiative involving a few Vancouver-based high schools – we wanted to help spread the word. BEST OF LUCK to the students involved, and be sure to help out, NorthGeeks!

Students aiming to recycle more than 30,000 kilograms of E-waste through Best Buy’s Tech It Away program.

To help divert some of the 270,000 tonnes of electronic waste that end up in Canadian landfills each year, Best Buy Canada has teamed up with three Vancouver high schools to lead a city-wide E-waste recycling drive through its Tech It Away program on Earth Day, Thursday, April 22. On that day, Vancouverites can drop off their used, broken or unwanted personal electronics for free and safe recycling at one of the three schools and do their part to help keep Canada green.

The official event site can be found here: http://www.bestbuy.ca/en-CA/techitaway.aspx

The participating schools – Eric Hamber Secondary, Killarney Secondary and Sir Charles Tupper Secondary – will each receive $10,000 in grants in honour of their environmental effort. Plus, as added incentive, the school that collects the most electronics for recycling will receive $2,000 to fund a student-led environmental initiative. Last year participating schools recycled 30 tonnes of E-waste and this year the students are aiming to beat that benchmark.

What: Students from three Vancouver secondary schools will host E-recycling events for their communities at large
A variety of electronics will be accepted including: TVs, Computers, Laptops, Printers, Cell Phones, Batteries, DVD players and more. A full list is available at http://www.bestbuy.ca/techitaway

When: Thursday, April 22, from 8:30 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.

Where: Best Buy Tech it Away events will take place at:

Nesters Contest Series: Win Cake (contest #1)

Yes, it’s very true. NorthGeek and Zedmo won free groceries for a year from Nesters in Vancouver. This means we’re going to eat well and have some fun with it all. First off, a contest! Stay tuned for weekly adventures and prizes to be won (from our bounty, that is).

Contest #1 details:
What: the most imaginative photo posted online (err perhaps on Twitpic or Flickr or Facebook) of you with this sign declaring our win at Nesters

Who: anyone willing to collect your prize around Nesters in Gastown Vancouver
When: we’ll decide on the best entry by Friday March 26 5pm PST
How: share it with NorthGeek’s Facebook page, post the link as a comment below, hashtag it with #whatyoutweat, or @reply @NorthGeek

The prize: a dozen St Patrick’s Day themed cupcakes (or equivalent).

Come out and win some CAKE!

Miss NorthGeek 2010 – Win a new phone courtesy of NorthGeek and Sony Ericsson Canada!

It’s true! You could win this brand new, PINK, Fido-branded Sony Ericsson T715 phone. Win it for yourself or that special someone in your life – a perfect gift for this coming Valentine’s Day!

Miss NorthGeek 2010 is awarded to the most tech-savvy, geekiest (in the coolest way possible), awesomest femenita in the NorthGeekosphere. To win it, you can either nominate yourself, or nominate the Geekette in your life. She will win the T715 phone, the glory, and the respect of kajillions of adoring fans.

All you have to do, is tweet your story (be sure to include #NorthGeek) or comment in this post, with your best tech-enabled (so that means it could be a text message, an email, or some social media form of communication) romantic story. Maybe you asked someone out on a date by SMS, or perhaps you wrote a song, recorded it, and posted it to YouTube? Whatever it is, let us know, and you could be our lucky winner! Remember, the story has to involve the person you’re nominating as Miss NorthGeek 2010!

We’ll be announcing the winner – selected by an esteemed panel of NorthGeek judges and industry experts – on Valentine’s Day – February 14th 2010, at 12:00pm PST.

Good luck, internet lovers!!

Some info on the handset:
– 3G high-speed experience
– Quad-band phone
– 3.2 megapixel camera with video recorder
– Integrated Facebook application
– MP3 player
– External memory expandable(MicroSD)
– Bluetooth® technology
– Handsfree speaker
– Picture and Video Messaging (MMS)
– Flight mode, calendar, to-do list, calculator, unit converter
– World clock, alarm and note pad