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I did a little number crunching comparing lithiums to alkalines and the alkalines still appear to be more economical but I had to make a lot of assumptions so I wouldn't bet the farm on it. Of course, when compared to good rechargeables, I would much rather just carry a few spares. Economically speaking, the worst rechargeable will beat the snot out of the best lithiums.
In theory, 4 AA lithiums should last 160 hours (Energizer claims up to 8x more life over alkalines when used in digital cameras) in a JBL. It would take only 4 to 8 recharges on a set rechargeables that cost about the same as the lithiums to match that. Beyond that, the rechargeables will keep on plugging along while the lithiums would need replacing. I see absolutely no gain with the mini.
Some one posted a Russian demo. There is still a battery bump on the back but it's smaller. There is a depression in the back alongside the bump, apparently to facilitate hanging on to the thing. The other notable thing I noticed was it automatically changed orientation when rotated but couldn't see if it worked on all directions. I only saw landscape with the battery bump on the bottom which would not do for me. This doesn't mean that was the only way landscape is presented.
Frankly, I see no real advantages of the Mini over the Lite for me so far, especially if the present zoom options are eliminated or reduced or landscape has the bump on the bottom (the bump makes a passable "kickstand" when set down on a table). Of course, I have far too little information to work with.
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