Author Archives: sd
HP TouchPad – Arriving Summer 2011
Amazingly enough, it even HAS flash support! WooHoo! Now this I will be looking into. No price has been mentioned yet, but I am still excited!
Click on the image to read more about the HP TouchPad
Table Connect for iPhone
This will probably be the coolest gadget of all time. A table for the iPhone/iPod Touch. There have been replicas of the famed Apple products into tables since the launch of the iPod 1st Gen, but nothing that has actually connected and transferred the motions of a touchscreen into a table has been created…..until now! Click on the picture to be taken to the blog where a video of the table in action is currently going!
phonetable for iPhone/iPod Touch
Microsoft Unveils New LifeCam
Microsoft Unveils New LifeCam With Stunning 1080p HD Sensor: Closest Thing to Being There in Person
REDMOND, Wash. — Sept. 13, 2010 —Microsoft Corp. today sets a new standard in webcams with LifeCam Studio, featuring sharp high-definition (HD) video with a true 1080p sensor1. Microsoft’s newest LifeCam is the perfect complement to Windows Live Messenger 2011, which will offer HD video calling in a 16:9 widescreen format so everyone can easily be seen in the video call with amazing detail2. When people can’t attend an important life moment in person, LifeCam Studio delivers the closest thing to being there.
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As Microsoft’s first webcam with a 1080p sensor, LifeCam Studio delivers superior sharpness and image quality in video calls. The native 1080p sensor is more than twice as large as the 720p HD sensors on the market and lets more light in so people experience great video in virtually any lighting condition. Whether the sun is streaming in the window or the user is lit only by the light from the computer monitor, LifeCam Studio brings friends and family closer than ever before.
Better Together With Windows Live Messenger 2011
The launch of Microsoft’s latest HD LifeCam comes at an exciting time for webcam users with the recent announcement that Windows Live Messenger 2011 will support HD video calling this fall.
“With Windows Live Messenger, customers can now have richer, more meaningful conversations by sharing photos, playing games and, of course, instant messaging all while video chatting in HD,” said Michael Chang, group product manager, Windows Live Messenger. “We are thrilled to deliver HD widescreen video calls with Windows Live Messenger 2011, giving LifeCam users a more vivid and clear image for their video calls.”
More Than Just Good Looks
In addition to a high-quality video picture, LifeCam Studio features a stunning industrial design. But it’s not just about great design; every piece of this webcam serves a purpose. The new webcam is Microsoft’s first to feature a tripod thread, perfect for recording long video captures from different angles — not only in front of the monitor. LifeCam Studio also includes these features:
| • | A 360-degree view range, which means that users can easily point the camera at themselves or around the room — no need to pick up an entire laptop and turn it around. |
| • | An elongated hood modeled after a high-end camera to help protect the lens from stray light to avoid washed-out colors. |
First-Class Technology
LifeCam Studio features premium optics, with improved Auto Focus to keep objects in focus no matter how far the distance from the LifeCam3, and a high-precision glass element lens for superior clarity. It also includes two technologies to ensure video remains true to life in almost any environment:
| • | TrueColor Technology automatically delivers bright and colorful video in virtually any lighting condition and helps keep the most important part of the video call — the face — properly exposed. |
| • | ClearFrame Technology helps keep video smooth and detailed even in low light. |
Pricing and Availability
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LifeCam Studio will be available exclusively at Best Buy stores later this month for the estimated retail price of $99.954 and is available on BestBuy.com starting today. Microsoft backs this product with a worldwide three-year limited hardware warranty. More information about these and other Microsoft Hardware products can be found at http://www.microsoft.com/hardware.
iPod Touch vs. iPod Touch: A side-by-side Comparison
Old Ipod Touch G3 vs. the New iPod Touch G4
The fourth-generation iPod Touch is closer to being an “iPhone without the phone” than ever before. The new iPod Touch has all kinds of iPhone 4 features including a front-facing camera for FaceTime, and a rear camera for capturing still images and 720p high-definition video. The new iPod Touch also sports the iPhone’s A4 processor, the new Retina Display with an image density of 326 pixels-per-inch, and a 3-axis gyroscope for improved gameplay. *Advertised Battery Life (Click to Zoom)But early impressions indicate the iPod Touch’s camera is seriously crippled compared to the iPhone 4. For example, the new iPod Touch camera can capture 960 x 720 pixel images, while the iPhone 4 can take 1936 x 2592 px images.
As for the third-generation iPod Touch, its successor is miles ahead in several areas. The new iPod Touch has 960 x 640 px resolution, while generation three has half that at 480 x 320 px. The new iPod sports Apple’s 1Ghz A4 processor, while the older iPod Touch’s processor speed was estimated to be about 600MHz.
The new Touch is a little bit taller at 4.4 inches versus generation three’s 4.3 inches. But Apple was able to shave 0.05 of an inch off the new Touch’s profile bringing it down to 0.28 of an inch. The new Touch also drops almost half an ounce of weight down to 3.56 ounces from generation three’s 4.05 ounces.
If you’re interested in the 8GB iPod Touch then the new version will cost you a little bit extra at $229 versus the previous price tag of $199. Pricing for the other Touch versions remains the same at $299 (32GB) and $399 (64GB).
Email overload? Try Priority Inbox
People tell us all the time that they’re getting more and more mail and often feel overwhelmed by it all. We know what you mean—here at Google we run on email. Our inboxes are slammed with hundreds, sometimes thousands of messages a day—mail from colleagues, from lists, about appointments and automated mail that’s often not important. It’s time-consuming to figure out what needs to be read and what needs a reply. Today, we’re happy to introduce Priority Inbox (in beta)—an experimental new way of taking on information overload in Gmail.
Gmail has always been pretty good at filtering junk mail into the “spam” folder. But today, in addition to spam, people get a lot of mail that isn’t outright junk but isn’t very important—bologna, or “bacn.” So we’ve evolved Gmail’s filter to address this problem and extended it to not only classify outright spam, but also to help users separate this “bologna” from the important stuff. In a way, Priority Inbox is like your personal assistant, helping you focus on the messages that matter without requiring you to set up complex rules.
For more information, please visit the Google Blog where this post was taken from 🙂
Google in talks with major studios to rent movies via YouTube
The Financial Times is reporting that Google is in talks with major Hollywood studios to bring streaming movie rentals from their catalogs to YouTube by the end of the year. Citing multiple sources with knowledge of the plans, the FT claims that the YouTube on-demand video service will probably launch first in the US, and will offer movies, simultaneous with the DVD release, for about $5.
The movies won’t be downloadable, so you’ll need a live Internet connection to watch them. But the lack of a download capability isn’t as big of a deal as you might think at first. The recently launched Google TV platform, which brings YouTube directly to Internet-connected televisions, presumes a constant Internet connection, so the rumored streaming rental model is a perfect fit for it.
Unbeknownst to most users, YouTube has actually been offering streaming movie rentals from a number of smaller studios since January. YouTube then began quietly expanding the service to a wider number of content partners, adding not just indie films but some major movie releases to its catalog. What will launch later in the year, then, will presumably be a version of the service with most or all of the major studios on board.
The FT’s story comes at a time when Apple is set to make a major music-related announcement next week, amid rumors of an A4-based AppleTV built around a new streaming platform.
So my question is….would you rent from Google? Does this look bad for the Kiosk revolution( Redbox, Blockbuster)?
Original link to story here
Sharp to go global with 3D phone, no eyewear required
TOKYO | Tue Aug 3, 2010 10:39pm EDT
TOKYO (Reuters) – Sharp Corp plans to take on Apple’s iPhone by the end of the year, with the international launch of a smartphone featuring a 3D panel that can be viewed without special glasses, a spokeswoman said on Wednesday.
The new phone will also likely have a 3D capable camera, the spokeswoman said.
Though Japan‘s biggest mobile phone maker, Sharp is a small player in global terms and has so far failed to capitalize on rapid growth in the smartphone market.
A previous venture into the segment, the Kin model manufactured for Microsoft, flopped in the United States and was canceled in June after less than three months.
Sharp unveiled its 3D panel technology, which is only suitable for small screens such as those on mobile phones and portable game consoles, in April.
Mobile electronics that let users view 3D images without special glasses have been around for some time, since people tend to look at the display from a fixed distance and angle on personal devices, making it technologically less difficult to offer a 3D function.
Full article (may be updated more) here
The Most Creatively Bad Installs
We all know that installations can be rigged to work in a few extreme or emergency conditions. But should they be be created to permanently work in this sort of contraption? Pick your best and reply with a comment or two on your favorite “creative” image. Slideshow available (click picture below to see them all)
Lunchtime Links 