ECOVACS Winbot W930 Automatic Window Cleaner

ECOVACS Winbot W930 Automatic Window Cleaner

Welcome to a Vacuum Cleaner Battery specialist of the Ecovacs Battery

ECOVACS Winbot W930 Automatic Window Cleaner is the latest cleaning robot of the Ecovacs Winbot collection. The W930 can perform on framed windows, frameless windows but also on all similar textures.

Winbot is a collection of robotic devices recognized by leading domestic organisations and international organizations as well. Winbot is also well-known for the patents on new technologies, innovations and designs.

The mission of Winbot W930 with battery like Ecovacs 8 Series Battery, Ecovacs 520 Battery, Ecovacs 526 Battery, Ecovacs CR130 Battery, Ecovacs BP-54 Battery, Ecovacs XR210 Battery, Ecovacs Deepoo 580 Battery, Ecovacs Deepoo 570 Battery, Ecovacs Deepoo 560 Battery, Ecovacs CR120 Battery, Ecovacs Deepoo 540 Battery, Ecovacs Deebot D54 Battery is not restricted to windows and the thickness of the glass does not matter! As long as the surface you plan to clean is glass or similar to it, Winbot W930 can take care of it. This robot can clean areas that are very difficult to access for you. Not only will it save you time but it will also leave your windows and glass surfaces perfectly clean.

Do not worry about the robot falling of the glass. The ECOVACS Winbot W930 Automatic Window Cleaner is equipped with a double safety protection that will ensure that your robot will remain on the glass.

The cleaning robot assesses the size of the surface and determine the path to follow, reaching all edges and avoiding all obstacles.

Also, this machine is environmentally friendly. The cleaning pads are washable and reusable and avoid the use of any kind of absorbent paper.

It is recommended to use the Ecovacs cleaning solution provided with the W930. Use of Windex, vinegar, ammonia or any other liquid may affect the cleaning effectiveness of the winbot and will void the warranty.

The pads may be washed in the washing machine and placed in the dryer in low heat.

Finally, it is not recommended to use Winbot W930 on film windows as this could void the manufacturer's warranty.

The W930 must be plugged in during the entire cleaning process. The battery back-up is just in case the power goes out.

Ecovacs Deebot D79 Automatic Vacuum Cleaning Robot

Ecovacs Deebot D79 Automatic Vacuum Cleaning Robot

Welcome to a Vacuum Cleaner Battery specialist of the Ecovacs Battery

•With multiple accessories and advanced capabilities, you can do more than just clean your floors with the Ecovacs Deebot D79 Vacuum Cleaning Robot
•5 cleaning modes for automatic, intensive, edge, spot, and small area cleaning
•Includes:
◦Robot vacuum
◦Charging dock
◦4 side brushes
◦Detachable handheld vacuum canister
◦5-piece attachment set includes hose, telescopic wand, brushes, and crevice tools
◦Remote control (2 AAA batteries included)

•Detachable canister can be used for above-floor cleaning or your car interior
•Extra-large dust bin capacity doesn't need to be emptied as often
•Scheduling option allows you to choose a specific hour or time of the day for cleaning
•Automatically docks and empties dust bin when full
•Anti-collision and anti-drop sensors avoid damaging furniture or falling down the stairs
•Automatically adjusts to all floor types - carpet, tile, hardwood, laminate AND more
•1 lithium-ion battery included such as Ecovacs Deebot D56 Battery, Ecovacs DeeBot D58 Battery, Ecovacs 730-5 Battery, Ecovacs Deebot D73 Battery, Ecovacs Deebot D77 Battery, Ecovacs Deepoo 620 Battery, Ecovacs Dibea X500 Battery, Ecovacs Deepoo 650 Battery, Ecovacs Deepoo 660 Battery, Ecovacs Deepoo 680 Battery, Ecovacs Deepoo 720 Battery, Ecovacs Deepoo 760 Battery
•Low profile cleans under furniture, beds, and tables
•Measures 13.25" diameter x 3.75" H
•Weighs 7.3 lb.
•1-year manufacturer's warranty
•Imported
•Model D79

The Husqvarna CRT900

Welcome to a Vacuum Cleaner Battery specialist of the Husqvarna Automower Battery

The Husqvarna CRT900 offers an array of features at a midrange price and is well suited to heavy-duty tilling tasks and frequent use. Exceptional balance and stability make this power tiller a popular choice, offering safety and ease of use. The counterweights put more weight on the wheels, giving better traction and stability, even when tilling rough or uneven terrain. When you're performing tough tilling tasks, working in heavy clay or across difficult terrain, the CRT900 features a drag bar that stabilizes the tiller and makes the task safer and easier. This rototiller with battery like Husqvarna Automower AU-18C Battery, Husqvarna Automower AU-18V Battery, Husqvarna Automower 210C Battery, Husqvarna Automower 220 Battery, Husqvarna Automower 230ACX Battery, Husqvarna Automower 260ACX Battery, Husqvarna Automower G2 2004-2006 Battery, Husqvarna Automower SH Battery, Husqvarna Automower 540059601 Battery, iRobot Roomba 4905 WC Battery, iRobot Roomba APS 4905 Battery, iRobot Roomba Tenergy 11701 Battery also boasts agricultural tires for optimum traction.

To increase ease of use, this gas tiller boasts a vertically adjustable handlebar, allowing you to find a comfortable tilling position for your height. For extra convenience, you can find the gear lever on the handlebar, within easy reach. This Husqvarna rototiller only offers forward and reverse gear options, so there's no way to alter speed or power. However, the inclusion of the reverse gear definitely makes tilling far easier, as you can simply change into reverse gear and walk backward while still tilling, negating the need to lift and turn the tiller before tilling back over each row.

The counter-rotating, rear-facing tines boast deep soil penetration, breaking up clumps and creating a beautifully fine soil structure. This makes planting easier and increases plant yield. Popular for its versatility, the Husqvarna CRT900 has an adjustable tilling depth, with seven adjustment levels, up to a depth of 6 inches. This gives you the freedom to use the tiller for light, moderate and heavy-duty tasks, including cutting new beds and light weeding between planted rows. Unfortunately, the 14-inch tilling width isn't adjustable. However, if you are more interested in cutting new ground or general annual soil maintenance, this isn't so much of a concern. Additionally, as long as you leave a minimum of 14 inches between rows, you'll have plenty of space to get the tiller in between.

The reliable 205 cc easy-start Briggs & Stratton engine offers plenty of power for most tasks, and the 3-quart fuel tank means you won't have to stop to refuel too frequently. The powerful engine provides a tine rotation speed of 210 rpm, quickly tackling even heavy clay soil or virgin ground.

While this Husqvarna gas tiller lacks frills and accessories, for a midrange machine it offers plenty of features. Overall it is a solid, reliable workhorse for medium to large growing areas, versatile enough to cope with almost any tilling task.

iRobot Roomba 790 review

iRobot Roomba 790 review

Welcome to a Vacuum Cleaner Battery specialist of the iRobot Battery

If you're going to let a semi-autonomous machine clean your floors, you'll want to enjoy living with it. With a retail price of $699, the iRobot Roomba 790 is the second most expensive of the robot vacuum cleaners we've reviewed so far. but this friendly workhorse whirs about with more charm and personality than any of the other robot vacuums in this test group. If you plan to use your robot vacuum on hardwood or another hard floor surface, the Roomba 790 is an excellent choice, as it outperformed the other robots we tested on this floor type. If you have mostly carpeted areas to clean or want a more budget-friendly model, the $449 Neato XV Signature Pro is more affordable, and it outperformed the Roomba in our carpet tests.

Like the Infinuvo CleanMate QQ5 Plus, the iRobot Roomba 790 with battery like iRobot 4978 Battery, iRobot iTouchless AV001A Battery, iRobot iTouchless AV002A Battery, iRobot Roomba 400 Battery, iRobot Roomba 4000 Battery, iRobot Roomba 4100 Battery, iRobot Roomba 4210 Battery, iRobot Roomba 5210 Battery, iRobot Roomba Dirt Dog Battery, iRobot Roomba Intelligent Robotic M-288 Battery, iRobot Roomba Pro Elite Battery, iRobot Roomba Scheduler Battery is disc-shaped, though it's a bit heftier. The Roomba 790 measures 13.9 inches in diameter and 3.6 inches in height, just over half an inch wider and half an inch taller than the CleanMate. At 8.4 lbs, the Roomba 790 is also the second heaviest vacuum we tested. This weight inspires a lot of confidence in the Roomba's design. I also appreciated the soft bumper on the front of the machine, which prevents the vacuum from scratching walls and furniture.

The Roomba features a touch screen on its top side that allows you to control and program the vacuum, or you can use the touch screen on the remote, which has identical functions. The remote control is easy to use but is enormous compared with the remote that comes with the $799 LG Hom Bot Square. The Hom Bot's remote rests nicely in the docking station whereas the Roomba's remote has no proper home. I liked the interface on the Roomba remote, but I wish that it nested somewhere and took up less space.

When you flip the Roomba over to examine its underside, you'll find the side brush, which sweeps debris back toward the suction mechanism and roller brushes. You will also find a well that holds a bristle brush and a beater brush. The bristle brush is similar in design to the roller brushes on the other vacuums, but the beater brush is made of silicone paddles, which scrape stubborn debris and pet hair. These brushes work in tandem to agitate particles out of the carpet and into the vacuum. The Roomba also has two sturdy, rubberized wheels, which it uses to navigate among different types of surfaces and over low obstacles. The dustbin is generously sized and easy to empty. The bin includes two replaceable air filters and a hinged door, which keeps debris inside the bin until you're ready to empty it.

iRobot Scooba 450 review

iRobot Scooba 450 review

Welcome to a Vacuum Cleaner Battery specialist of the iRobot Battery

Where most floor mopping robots are designed for light-duty maintenance cleaning, iRobot's $600 Scooba 450 can tackle heavier spills, stains, and other unsightly messes with comparable ease. That makes the Scooba 450 unique among its competitors -- it's the closest we've seen to a true replacement for your mop and dirty water bucket. Unfortunately, it can only clean about 300 square feet (40 minutes of cleaning time) before needing to charge. Still, I really like the Scooba 450 and think it's a capable (small space) floor cleaner.

The iRobot Scooba 450 looks a lot like iRobot's Roomba robot vacuums with battery like iRobot Roomba 80501 Battery, iRobot Roomba 500 Battery, iRobot Roomba 510 Battery, iRobot Roomba 530 Battery, iRobot Roomba 560 Battery, iRobot Roomba 580 Battery, iRobot Roomba 600 Battery, iRobot Roomba 700 Battery, iRobot Scooba 5800 Battery, iRobot Scooba 5900 Battery, iRobot Scooba 6000 Battery, iRobot Scooba 350 Battery. They share the same disk-like shape and color detail, have similar handles for easy lifting, and even operate via the same iAdapt navigation algorithm. But the Scooba 450 has significantly fewer features, making it more high maintenance than I'd like.

The top of the Scooba 450 displays a power/clean button with a blue LED status ring around it. When the status lights are spinning, the Scooba is getting ready for a cleaning cycle, and when the lights are solid, the lights act as a progress guide. To the right is a room size button where you have two options: 150 square feet for 20 minutes of cleaning or 300 square feet for 40 minutes of cleaning. To the left there's an information button that you can press to get audio updates from the bot, such as "I can't detect my tank. Please make sure it is installed correctly, then press 'clean' to restart." The 450 is also programmed to talk to you when it has specific information to share (without pressing the information button for a prompt).

There's also a battery indicator light that's solid green/red when the battery is full/drained and pulses yellow or green when it's charging, in addition to a USB port under the handle and a sensor that can communicate with the included Virtual Wall device to help the bot navigate. That's it for the display panel and the top of the bot. There's no option for scheduling cleaning cycles or other such customization.

Also, the Scooba's battery doesn't last very long. So, if you're hoping to mop, say, a 1,200-square-foot space, you're going to get roughly a quarter of the way done (40 minutes and 300 square feet maxes out its battery) and have to stop, clean out the dirty tank, possibly refresh the clean tank, let it charge for 2 to 3 hours and then resume. While that's probably still less effort than mopping the floor yourself, it isn't the most efficient process if you want to clean a larger space (especially if you want to clean a large space quickly).

Still, it isn't hugely inconvenient, especially compared to other robot floor cleaners we've tested. The iRobot Braava 380t may have a longer battery life, but you also have to deal with attaching and removing mop pads for cleaning. Plus, the Scooba comes with a Virtual Wall that you can use to section off your floor for cleaning. If you live in a smaller home or have minimal amounts of hardwood/vinyl/laminate, etc., the Scooba might just simplify your floor cleaning routine.

The Scooba 450's dual water reservoir and uniquely powerful three-step cleaning process makes it stand out from the other floor cleaners we've tested. Still, I wouldn't recommend this small space floor scrubber to everyone. If your goal is fast and efficient cleaning of large spaces, you might actually prefer the lighter-duty iRobot Braava 380t . It's designed for maintenance cleaning, but it can cover more ground per charge.

Samsung NaviBot review

Samsung NaviBot review

Welcome to a Vacuum Cleaner Battery specialist of the Samsung Battery

Just as nature abhors a vacuum, so human nature abhors vacuum cleaning. Samsung, however, is aiming to liberate mankind from the eternal struggle against the build-up of dust. The company says its NaviBot will whip around your gaff, suck up dust, return to its charging station, and start all over again the next day -- with a minimum of human intervention.

Liberty from domestic drudgery doesn't come cheap, though: the touchscreen model that we've reviewed, the SR8855, costs around £390 online, while the version with physical buttons, the SR8845, costs around £350 with battery such as Samsung Navibot SR8840 Battery, Samsung Navibot SR8895 Battery, Samsung Navibot VCR8855 Battery, Samsung VC-RE70V Battery, Samsung VCA-RBT20 Battery, Samsung DJ96-00113C Battery, Karcher 2.891-029.0 Battery, Karcher RC3000 Battery, Dyson DC16 Battery, Dyson 912433-01 Battery, Dyson 917083-01 Battery, Dyson DC31 Battery. Can the NaviBot's performance justify its price, or will you feel like you've been taken to the cleaners?

ust as nature abhors a vacuum, so human nature abhors vacuum cleaning. Samsung, however, is aiming to liberate mankind from the eternal struggle against the build-up of dust. The company says its NaviBot will whip around your gaff, suck up dust, return to its charging station, and start all over again the next day -- with a minimum of human intervention.

Liberty from domestic drudgery doesn't come cheap, though: the touchscreen model that we've reviewed, the SR8855, costs around £390 online, while the version with physical buttons, the SR8845, costs around £350. Can the NaviBot's performance justify its price, or will you feel like you've been taken to the cleaners?

Rather, the issue is that the NaviBot simply can't reach into nooks -- or crannies for that matter. It won't be able to cope with dust on skirting boards, TVs or hi-fis either, or get under furniture that sits close to the floor.

The result is that, although the NaviBot did a generally impressive job on the wooden flooring of our London garret, we still ended up with select pockets of filth all over the place. Consequently, we had to whip out a conventional vacuum cleaner after the NaviBot had finished, which made us think we might as well have done it all ourselves in the first place.

We're not entirely convinced that leaving the NaviBot to its own devices while you're out at the pool is a barnstormingly good idea either. We've seen the NaviBot completely fail to navigate past the leg of our couch, get trapped on a 15mm-high section of raised flooring, and drag around a loose cable for sufficiently long that we thought it might try and eat it. The thought of the NaviBot causing mayhem in our home while we're away is too much for our paranoid minds to bear.

The Samsung NaviBot is a highly appealing gadget with the noblest of ambitions. But it doesn't clean sufficiently well for us to recommend it at this price. If you're feeling flush, love robots and absolutely detest vacuum cleaning, it could fit the bill. For everyone else, we'd advise keeping your money, gritting your teeth and getting on with the housework as usual, or putting the money towards a cleaner.

Samsung Powerbot Essential Robotic Vacuum

Samsung Powerbot Essential Robotic Vacuum

Welcome to a Vacuum Cleaner Battery specialist of the Samsung Battery

With an eye on the holidays, Samsung's bringing the price of its PowerBot robot vacuum series down to a competitive $700. The new Samsung PowerBot Essential Robot Vacuum features the same cyclonic force cleaning power of the $900 PowerBot VR9000 we reviewed in May (which costs £700 at Argos in the UK as well as AU$1,499 in Australia), as well as the same whole home mapping system facilitated by its digital camera. New to the PowerBot Essential is a wider motorized brushroll with a combination of hard and soft bristles aimed at more effective cleaning in a single pass across your floors.

If the Samsung PowerBot Essential with battery such as Samsung DJ96-00113A Battery, Samsung SAM14.49B Battery, Samsung VC-RA50VB Battery, Samsung VC-RA52V Battery, Samsung VC-RA84V Battery, Samsung VC-RL50V Battery, Samsung VC-RL52V Battery, Samsung VC-RL84V Battery, Samsung VC-RL84VC Battery, Samsung VC-RL84VR Battery can clean more effectively for less than the VR9000, it'll be an appealing option in the growing field of robot vacuums, especially for Samsung brand loyalists. We liked the VR9000, and thought it a competent cleaner, but had issues with the price.

It's not clear what exactly Samsung's cutting from the VR9000 to make it cheaper, but it's missing the connected prowess we've seen from similarly priced competition. Smarts were not a feature of the VR9000 either, and now that we've seen it successfully implemented on the Editors' Choice winning $700 Neato Connected Botvac, Samsung's falling behind. And since the Neato out-cleaned the VR9000 in our tests, the Essential's new brushroll will have to show marked cleaning improvement to make this vac worthwhile for non-Samsung loyalists.

You can purchase the Samsung PowerBot Essential for $700 from Samsung's site. It's also available via Best Buy. Internationally, the price converts to around £466 and AU$995.

I'm curious to see if the Samsung PowerBot Essential can improve upon the VR9000's cleaning game while reducing the price. The Essential looks to be an incremental upgrade and a positional move as far as pricing. It could be a solid option for you or a family member this holiday season, but it'll need to impress to keep up with the newest Neato. It's also fair to want a bit more in terms of smarts from the brand that owns SmartThings.

Canon PowerShot S2 IS

Canon PowerShot S2 IS

Welcome to a Battery Grip specialist of the Canon Battery Grip

Canon has today announced the successor to the S1 IS, the all-new 12x optical zoom five megapixel PowerShot S2 IS. This camera is clearly aimed to compete with the other compact big-zoom club which is currently made up of the Panasonic DMC-FZ5, Konica Minolta Z5 and Sony DSC-H1 with grips such as Canon BG-E2 Battery Grip, Canon BG-E3 Battery Grip, Canon BG-E5 Battery Grip, Canon BG-E6 Battery Grip, Canon BG-E7 Battery Grip, Canon BG-E8 Battery Grip, Canon BG-E9 Battery Grip, Canon BG-E10 Battery Grip, Canon LMK-5D Battery Grip, Nikon BP-D60 Battery Grip, Nikon EN-EL9 Battery Grip. Just like the S1 IS the S2 IS utilizes a small USM (ultrasonic motor) to drive its zoom (multi-speed and quiet for shooting movies). Changes compared to the S1 include a body redesign, five megapixel CCD, a bigger zoom lens, DIGIC II, faster continuous shooting, night display function, stereo audio recording and a larger LCD monitor.

With extensive PictBridge support, the PowerShot S2 IS offers ID photo and movie print when connected to a SELPHY Compact Photo Printer such as the Compact Photo Printer SELPHY CP600. Using KP-108IP media with SELPHY CP Compact Photo Printers gives 6 x 4” (10 x 15cm) prints as low as 30 euro cents. A new Print/Share button provides one-touch printing and easy uploads to Windows or Mac systems.

Image and video library management and editing software includes ZoomBrowser EX 5.2 (for PC), ImageBrowser 5.1 (for Mac) and ArcSoft PhotoStudio, PhotoStitch for creating panoramas from multiple images, and the easy to use PhotoRecord printing application. The camera supports PTP for driverless file transfers to Windows XP or Mac OS X. Drivers include TWAIN (Windows 98/2000) and WIA (Windows Me).

Purchase of the PowerShot S2 IS entitles customers to membership to the CANON iMAGE GATEWAY, Canon’s online portal that offers users 100MB of online ‘personal gallery’ space for sharing stills and video with family and friends.

Canon EOS Rebel T6

Canon EOS Rebel T6

Welcome to a Battery Grip specialist of the Canon Battery Grip

The Canon EOS Rebel T6 (also known as the EOS 1300D) is a budget-friendly DSLR with an 18MP APS-C-size sensor. It uses Canon's DIGIC 4+ image processor which offers an ISO range of 100-6400, expandable to 12800, as well as 3p fps burst shooting. It features a 9-point AF system with a cross-type sensor at the center. The EOS T6 is also outfitted with a 3-inch, 920,000-dot LCD or, of course, an optical viewfinder. The T6 features a host of scene modes, including a Scene Intelligent Auto mode, plus numerous creative filters. Full HD can be captured at 30p or 24p. The Rebel T6 with grip like Canon BG-E2N Battery Grip, Canon EOS 350D Battery Grip, Canon EOS Rebel XSi Battery Grip, Canon Eos 5D Mark II Battery Grip, Canon EOS 7D Battery Grip, Canon EOS 550D Battery Grip, Canon 60D Battery Grip, Canon EOS 1100D Battery Grip, Canon 5D Battery Grip, Nikon D60 Battery Grip, Nikon D3000 Battery Grip also has Wi-Fi with NFC for easy sharing via Canon's Camera Connect app.

The Canon EOS Rebel T6 provides a beginning photographer with good image quality right out of the box. It's a lightweight, easy-to-use DSLR with Wi-Fi for quick photo sharing. Its sensor lags behind the competition and its Live View shooting experience is frustrating, but it produces nice JPEGs without much work on the user's part. Overall, its very reasonable price point makes it a good buy for beginners.

Good for: Beginners, JPEG shooters, bargain hunters.

Not so good for: Those looking for best-in-class resolution and dynamic range, video or extras like panorama or filter modes.

Nikon MB-D10 Multi Power Battery Pack

Nikon MB-D10 Multi Power Battery Pack

Welcome to a Battery Grip specialist of the Nikon Battery Grip

Runs on one EN-EL3e, one EN-EL4a (Battery Chamber Cover BL-3 required) or eight R6/AA-size alkaline/lithium/Ni-MH/nickelmanganese batteries.
MB-D10 Multi-Power Battery Pack for D700 & D300 includes MS-D10EN for use with EN-EL3e battery (sold separately), and MS-D10 for use with 8 AA batteries (not included; accepts 1.5 V LR-6 (Alkaline), Lithium (FR6), Ni-MH (HR6) or Ni-Mn (ZR6)). The grips compatible with Nikon MB-D80 Battery Grip, Nikon D5000 Battery Grip, Nikon EL4A Battery Grip, Nikon MB-D10 Battery Grip, Nikon MB-D11 Battery Grip, Nikon MB-D31 Battery Grip, Nikon MB-D51 Battery Grip, Pentax BP-K7 Battery Grip, Pentax K10D Battery Grip, Sony VG-B50AM Battery Grip, Sony VG-B30AM Battery Grip.

The MB-D10 comes with the MS-D10EN, which allows the pack to be powered by a Nikon EN-EL3e Li-ion rechargeable battery (sold separately).

The MB-D10 can also use the Nikon EN-EL4/EN-EL4a rechargeable Li-ion battery (sold separately); however when using this set-up, the BL-3 Battery Chamber Cover is also necessary for use (sold separately). and either the MH-21 or MH-22 Quick Charger (both sold separately).

Features two command dials, shutter release button and AF start button for vertical shooting.

The MB-D10 is a Multi-Power Battery Pack that provides extended shooting capability to select Nikon D-SLRs.

It also comes with the MS-D10, which allows the pack to be powered with eight AA batteries (alkaline, Lithium, Ni-MH, or Ni-Mn).

EN-EL4a/EN-EL4 and AA batteries support higher frame advance rates (8 Frames per second in the D700 & D300) than the EN-EL3e.

Enhanced sealing system helps diminish penetration by dust and moisture.

Sony Alpha DSLR-A700 Review

Welcome to a Battery Grip specialist of the Sony Battery Grip

It's been almost two years since Konica Minolta pulled out of the photo business and transferred its entire camera division to Sony, and well over a year since the first Sony DSLR (the DSLR-A100) was announced. Two years is a long time in the digital SLR market, but the three years Minolta (latterly Konica Minolta, now Sony) SLR users have been waiting for a high end model to replace the innovative Maxxum (Dynax) 7D must have felt like a lifetime. But, finally, it's here, and it looks very much like the mockup shown earlier in the year.

Like the A100, the new camera with battery grips such as Nikon D90 Battery Grip, Nikon MB-B10 Battery Grip, Nikon D700 Battery Grip, Nikon D7000 Battery Grip, Nikon D3100 Battery Grip, Nikon D5100 Battery Grip, Pentax D-BG4 Battery Grip, Pentax D-BG2 Battery Grip, Sony Alpha A550 Battery Grip, Sony A350 Battery Grip, Sony A900 Battery Grip still wears its Konica Minolta heritage very much on its sleeve, and when you start to look a little more closely at the specification it's obvious that there's still an awful lot of Konica Minolta DNA in the A700. This is hardly surprising given that the circumstances behind its development.

And, just as the A100 was obviously based on - and designed to be a successor to - the KM 5D, the A700 follows on from the 7D, and - despite lots of Sony touches and an attractive new design - 7D users are likely to find using the new model reassuringly familiar.

But of course Sony doesn't only have existing system users in its cross hairs; the A700 is designed to go head to head with the latest 'prosumer' models from Nikon, Canon and Pentax. Whether the A700 offers enough to really put Sony on the DSLR map will be decided when we get to look properly at the image quality, but on specification, features and handling it certainly seems to have what it takes to play with the big boys.

Interestingly the one thing the A700 doesn't have is any form of live view; when we spoke to Sony about this the answer was simple; they believe that the compromises involved in current systems are satisfactory, and they won't implement live view until they can 'get it right'. Whether the lack of live view has any real relevance in a camera at this level remains to be seen; we doubt it.

The A700 shares many technologies with earlier Konica Minolta models (including, naturally, the lens mount), plus all those introduced in the A100 - though virtually all have been uprated or upgraded in one way or another (we've been told the A100 and A700 share virtually no components). From the sensor to the construction of the body to the GUI to the extensive feature set, this is a very different camera to the entry-level A100 .