Mirage 3D Hologram Generator: It's All Optical, No Batteries Required

Source: http://gizmodo.com/gadgets/gadgets/mirage-3d-hologram-generator-its-all-optical-no-batteries-required-239692.php

Place an object in this bowl that looks like a black flying saucer, put its lid on top and all of a sudden you're looking at a 3D hologram that seems absolutely real, hovering there in space until you stick your finger through it. The Mirage 3D hologram generator uses an optical trick to make it seem like those objects are sitting on top of it.

Take a look at another picture of the hologram generator's optical illusion in action:

Its manufacturers say that this little frying pan-like thingamajig is manufactured to tolerances within a millionth of an inch. Sounds like a lot of precision for a $35.95 parlor trick. – Charlie White

Product Page [Eye Tricks, via Newlaunches]

3D World's Three-Eyed Camera Makes 3D Photo Shoots a Reality

Source: http://gizmodo.com/gadgets/digital-cameras/3d-worlds-three+eyed-camera-makes-3d-photo-shoots-a-reality-243062.php

Design-wise, 3D World's three-lens shooter looks like a camera experiment gone wrong. But the reason the 120 Tri-lense Stereo Camera was fitted with an extra pair of eyes is so that it could take "3D images." Here's the catch though. You'll need a special viewer to make it all work. So in the long run, you might be better of snatching one of these for your next 3D photo shoot. – Louis Ramirez

Now in 3D! [Gadget Lab]

Samsung's 2nd-Gen LED DLPs Will Get 3D Upgrade by Fall

Source: http://gizmodo.com/gadgets/home-entertainment/samsungs-2nd+gen-led-dlps-will-get-3d-upgrade-by-fall-255312.php

In addition to that wireless plamsa that's in the works, today we also learned that Samsung is planning on giving its second-gen LED-based DLPs a 3D upgrade. The current line up is 3D-ready and come September, Samsung will sell a $100 package that'll include two 3D glasses and a 3D emitter that'll hook up to your DLP and display 3D content. The plan is to spread the 3D feature across all of Samsung's TVs (DLP, PDP and LCD), but the DLPs are up first. It's certainly a nice extra to have (provided the content is there, too), but how many of you guys want 3D on your TV? – Louis Ramirez

Adobe Tinkering With 3D Image Manipulation Using Camera and Software [UPDATED With Video]

Source: http://gizmodo.com/gadgets/3d-magic/adobe-tinkering-with-3d-image-manipulation-using-camera-and-software-%5Bupdated-with-video%5D-308659.php

Adobe has figured out a way to give you control over depth in a photograph without having to do a lot of tedious selection tricks. Starting with this 3D lens that looks a bit like an insect's compound eye, it can shoot 19 images from slightly different angles. Once you get all those various images into a PC, Adobe's software magic goes to work, determining where objects are located in the scene and then allowing you to address those objects according to their depth. Take the jump to see a video demo by Dave Story, Adobe's Vice President of Interactive Design.

It might be a while before you see such a fancy lens on everyday cameras. But a focus brush in Photoshop? Whoa. Sign us up. [Audioblog, via CNET]

New Camera Chip Design Can Take Photos in 3D

Source: http://gizmodo.com/359199/new-camera-chip-design-can-take-photos-in-3d

A new camera chip design from scientists at Stanford University has opened up the possibility of 3D photos. The chip has stacked 16 x 16 pixel arrays and a host of micro-lenses, much like a fly's eye, enabling the whole chip to "see" in three dimensions, unlike a normal 2D pixel array digital camera sensor. Here's how it works:

Data from the "multi-aperture array" then goes through image processing to extract a standard RGB image, along with a "depth map" for each pixel—very useful for applications like face- or object-recognition.

Essentially, each tiny sub-array of pixels in the Stanford sensor sees objects in front of the camera from a slightly different viewpoint. Software then looks for relative shifts between the same object's image in different lenses, and processes this parallax data to work out the object's distance.

As well as giving depth information, the design may reduce the color-crosstalk problems current sensors suffer from. It can also take macro close-ups in restricted spaces, making it potentially useful in medical situations.

Adobe has demonstrated a similar device in the past, but this new design is compacted onto one chip, and much simpler to integrate into current camera technology. For now, the pixel count is limited, and the image processing requirements would put a hefty strain on camera batteries. But, given a little time, your DSLR might one day be able to snap 3D family groupings, ready to show on your holo-display. [Crav e via GadgetLab]

HoloVizio True 3D Display Uses Voxels, No Goggles

Source: http://gizmodo.com/5014980/holovizio-true-3d-display-uses-voxels-no-goggles

HoloVizio may look like yet another 3D screen, but it completely changes the approach to three-dimensional displays using voxels instead of pixels. Each voxel can project multiple light beams—of different intensity and colors—in several directions, simultaneously. This means that anyone standing around the monitor will actually see an object from a different perspective, with no need for goggles or other stereoscopic tricks. The results are impressive, as you can see on the videos.

Right now, Holografika—the manufacturer—has two displays that work with Windows and Linux systems: the HoloVizio 128WLD and HoloVizio 720RC. These screens act like windows, with objects appearing to recede or pop out of the surface. As you move, you can see the object change perspective like any natural object, with no jumps, an effect that is called continuous motion parallax, which is key to achieve true 3D displays.

According to Holografika, there's also no need for head tracking or positioning, so many people can see the objects at the same time, with no discomfort of any kind.

HoloVizio 128WLD
Aspect ratio: 16:9
Screen size: 32" (792 mm) diagonal, 672 mm x 420 mm
3D resolution: 9.8 Mpixel
2D equivalent resolution from one angle: 512 x 320 pixel
Input: 4 x DVI-I or DVI-D monitor cable (single link)
Compatibility: PC & WorkStation
Viewing angle: 50° horizontal
Color: 16 Million (24 bit RGB)

HoloVizio 720RC
Aspect ratio: 16:9
Screen size: 72" (~1800 mm) diagonal. 1600 mm x 900 mm
3D resolution: 34.5 Mpixel
2D equivalent resolution from one angle: 1080 x 600 pixel
Input: Gigabit Ethernet (CAT6) or Infiniband
Compatibility: PC & WorkStation
Viewing angle: 50° – 70° horizontal
Color! : 16 Mil lion (24 bit RGB)

The price of each unit is probably the gross domestic product of Costa Rica. [Holografika via GizMag]

ClickTale Launches Form Analytics; Optimize Your Forms For Maximum Results

Source: http://www.centernetworks.com/clicktale-form-analytics

If you've been reading CN for a while, you know we like ClickTale. We said that Omniture should acquire the service and we've also interviewed the ClickTale CEO, Tal Schwartz. ClickTale is basically a worldwide virtual usability lab for your Web site, application, ecommerce site or blog.

Today the company is launching a new product -- Form Analytics. Over my career I've seen several products do something similar but not to the scale that ClickTale is. From the ClickTale blog, "Form Analytics reveals how visitors interact with online forms and provides recommendations that can increase shopping cart conversion, form completion rates and reduce visitor abandonment."

Form Analytics is currently in beta and includes three reports: Time, Blanks, and Refills. Tal tells me that additional reports will be coming out soon. The Time report shows you how long people are spending on your forms. It gets even crazier with the Advanced Time report which shows you how much time was spent with each individual field. Blanks provides you with details on which fields users are leaving blank when submitting a form. And lastly, the Refills report provides details on how often a user is forced to redo some part of their entered data.

Based on their initial testing, they've seen two common errors that developers and content creators are making. One is around ZIP codes and not taking into account non-U.S. postal codes. The other is password fields which don't provide any specifics on the type of password required which forces the user to refill the form.

My hope is that they provide regular blog posts with more form analytics data - optimizing your forms can return huge value and they could offer excellent guidance with the aggregated data.

Smithsonian copyright-free images on Flickr

Source: http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/boingboing/iBag/~3/315324554/smithsonian-copyrigh.html

Carl sez, "The Smithsonian is up and running on Flickr Commons ... the photos are all labeled "no known copyright restrictions" and the photos are high-res. I was particularly intrigued by the Dibner Library of the History of Science and Technology, with photos of famous scientists and inventors. We should all congratulate the Smithsonian on a *big* step forward!" Link (Thanks, Carl!)

New Sites Match Agencies With Untapped Talent

Source: http://adage.com/talentworks//article?article_id=127681

Employers Can Screen Applicants More Efficiently, Develop New Hires

By Michael Bush

Published: June 16, 2008

NEW YORK (AdAge.com) -- Finding talent is a continuing challenge for marketing-services agencies. But a recent rise of online outlets are democratizing talent, letting creative types share and shop around their work to potential employers. Such sites may alleviate some of the pressures for both agencies and job seekers.

NuIdeaExchange, which launched in February 2008, enables agencies and marketers to submit their requests for proposals and then review submissions. On the flip side, media, account-planning and strategy, creative, production or technology specialists can submit their own creations on the site for marketers or agencies to purchase.

The site has already garnered more than 400 registered creative groups, encompassing "a combination of agencies, freelancers and traditional-minded to new-media-oriented talents," said President Dave Evans. The site gives the creative community a chance to show its work to a large audience, he said. On the agency side, NuIdeaExchange enables agencies to keep all of the work in-house without having to share portions of an assignment it may not be able to handle with other agencies.

Nothing to lose
Martin Schell, president-CEO of New Phase Communications, an Oklahoma City-based phone company, is planning to launch his company within the next 60 days. He issued a request for information on NuIdeaExchange six weeks ago seeking a company logo. Mr. Schell said he has received a couple of proposals and is deciding which one to choose.

"The quality of the work was pretty good," he said. "Both of them are pretty promising. Next step is to decide who I want to go with."

Marshall Lestz, a freelance copywriter, plans to use the site. "For a freelancer who is between jobs, this is a great, easy way to see what's out there and potentially land some work," he said. "You have nothing to lose, especially if you're between jobs or after you have called all of your contacts, because you can only call people so many times before you start to annoy them. Even if you're not chosen, you're still going to be able to make a good contact because you're displaying your abilities to a prospective client down the road."

Anand Chopra-McGowan, partner at YouIntern.com, a site that connects aspiring interns with agencies, said given agencies' struggle to find talent, many view intern programs as a way to develop new hires.

"Programs like this allow us to be a college recruiter for agencies who don't already have one," he said.

Filtering applicants
On the site, interns can post reviews about their experiences at past internships that other students can learn from, and agencies can post internship openings. Arnold Worldwide asked YouIntern.com to find four potential candidates for its summer intern program this year. The agency hired two interns who began the eight-week program last week, said Maurice Haynes, VP-director of worklife, Arnold.

"If you equate time with money, then there definitely is a cost-savings involved," Mr. Haynes said. "It's nice to have someone pre-screen applicants that would be a good fit for the company."

Mr. Chopra-McGowan said identifying the right intern can help eliminate one of the biggest issues in the ad industry: a high turnover rate.

"If they're a good fit for the company, they can move on and make them a longer-term offer," he said. "And chances are that person will stay with the company longer."

Drawbacks
So what's the downside to these online talent clearinghouses? "If you don't know what you want and haven't been through the process before, it can be a little tough,"

Mr. Schell said. "The instructions say, 'Tell us what you want,' but there's not a lot of coaching to pull it out of you."

Added Mr. Evans, "I have spoken to holding companies who said this could be a big help to them. The only fear on their side is the dynamics of what it means to the industry," he said. "Some of them are saying they want to talk to us but they are fearful of the fact of how this is going to impact them as an agency. But they have said it's probably better for us to engage in it and work with it vs. trying to fight it."

Asus Eee PC 1000H Reviewed (Best Eee Yet, Except the Price) [Asus Eee Pc 1000h]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/315058414/asus-eee-pc-1000h-reviewed-best-eee-yet-except-the-price

Asus's Eee PC 1000H is the least Eee-like Eee yet—big, pricey ($649) and it has a regular ol' platter hard drive. Laptop Mag says the extra screen real estate makes it the most productive yet, too, even though the colors don't pop as much as the Wind. And the keyboard: "To say it's an improvement over the cramped keyboard found on earlier Eee PCs is an understatement." Performance from Atom and its 1GB RAM is solid, and the move to a HDD from a SSD doesn't hurt too much, even on startup—battery isn't hit too hard either, 4 hours and 28 minutes with Wi-Fi. Overall, everything's gravier than past models, 'cept the price. [Laptop Mag]

3D GIFs Made from Old Stereo Cards Are Stupidly Simple, Effective [Cool]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/315319281/3d-gifs-made-from-old-stereo-cards-are-stupidly-simple-effective

Joshua Heineman is obsessed with old stereo cards, those old photographies from the 19th century that contained two different views of the same subject to give the illusion of depth. He converts them into pseudo-3D GIF images which can be seen without glasses, in your monitor. The method is extremely simple, and while the jerking result may seem silly, surprisingly, it works:

Johsua just gets his images from the New York Public Library, and combines them into a single two-frame GIF animation, which quickly flicks between two frames. [Cursive Buildings]

Samsung's P400 DLP Projector is Tiny for Portability, Sleek too [Projector]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/315287113/samsungs-p400-dlp-projector-is-tiny-for-portability-sleek-too

Samsung's new P400 Pocket Imager projector is designed mainly for businesspeople on the go, so it's pretty tiny. Inside, its DLP unit is a native 800 x 600 resolution and its LED lighting pushes out 150 lumens, resulting in a 30- to 40-inch display capability with 1000:1 contrast ratio. It takes the standard RGB, composite, S-video and audio inputs, and has two 1-watt speakers. Plus, though it's no pico-projector, it's just 5 x 3.7 x 2 inches in size and weighs 1.9 pounds, so it'll carry nicely in your laptop bag. And you know what? Just coz it's businessy doesn't mean it has to look ugly or utilitarian: so Samsung have actually made this thing look pretty good. Available now for $749, full press release below.

Jun 18, 2008 18:00

Samsung Launches Sleek, Sophisticated Palm-Sized DLP Projector for Professional Mobility

Bright LED Lightweight Projector, the P400 Pocket Imager Defines Style, Performance and Functionality for Today's Busy Professional

LAS VEGAS —(Business Wire)— Jun. 18, 2008 Samsung Electronics America, a subsidiary of Samsung Electronics Corporation, a world-leading supplier of professional LCD and PDP display products, today announced the P400 pocket imager that defines style, performance and functionality for today's busy professional. The P400 and the full line of Samsung's projectors will be on display during InfoComm at the Samsung booth, C2417, in the Central Hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center from June 18 - 20.
The P400 Pocket Imager allows professionals the ability to easily transport and display information without compromising picture quality. Ideal for road warriors, field sales representatives, business executives and traveling entrepr! eneurs, the new Pocket Imager provides a creative and dynamic solution that is now both easier and less expensive to utilize. The lightweight, palm-sized DLP projector fits conveniently into a road warrior's computer bag or luggage and sets up in seconds. The P400 also features Samsung's sleek, sophisticated industrial design with a glossy black finish.

The Samsung Pocket Imager is small enough to take anywhere and can project images from a variety of sources, including computers, DVD players, video game stations and digital cameras. Utilizing DLP technology, the P400 has a native resolution of 800 x 600 SVGA. In addition to the 1,000:1 contrast ratio, the pocket imager has 150 ANSI lumens for a crisp, clear 30"-40" diagonal image even in a well-lit office setting, and RGB, Composite-In, S-Video, audio-in (RCA L/R) rear inputs for optimal functionality.

The P400 features 1-watt (x2) built-in speakers for convenience. Measuring in at 5 inches wide by 3.7 inches deep and 2 inches high, the 1.9-pound pocket imager is both light and portable. Plus, by utilizing LED with a lifespan of up to 30,000 hours, there is no projector lamp to replace. Other offerings included with the P400 Pocket Imager include a remote control, power cables and a sliding lens cap that protects the projector lens without worrying about it falling off or losing it during transit.

"We continue to push the boundaries in digital signage and projection and are thrilled to launch the P400 as it expands Samsung's growth into projection mobility for the various environmental application demands," said Christopher Franey, Vice President of Sales and Marketing, Samsung Electronics America Information Technology Division. "The pocket imager's versatility proves to be an ideal digital signage solution for early technology adapters, mobile professionals and style-conscious enthusiasts."

Like all Samsung displays and projectors, the P400 pocket imager is backed by a one-year limited warranty on labor and parts, as well as toll-f! ree tech nical support for the life of the projector.

The P400 Pocket Projector is currently available for $749 ESP through Samsung resellers and distribution channels, which can be located by calling 1-800-SAMSUNG or by visiting http://www.samsung.com. Samsung Power Partners receive special promotions, lead referrals, training and technical support, as well as collateral and marketing materials. To find out more about becoming a Samsung Power Partner, visit: http://www.samsungpartner.com.

[Samsung and Electronista]

Prezenter PSR Two-Touchscreen Laptop: Travelling Sales Pitches Go High-Tech [Sales]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/315323902/prezenter-psr-two+touchscreen-laptop-travelling-sales-pitches-go-high+tech

I've never encountered a traveling salesperson, so I've not had someone trying to push a "revolutionary" product on me from the comfort of my home. But if the Prezenter PSR is anything to go by, traveling sales is about to get high-tech. It's a custom notebook PC, designed to fold so that a 14-inch screen faces the victims audience, while a 7-inch touchscreen faces the seller. The small screen controls the presentation, and the audience can draw stuff on their screen. Apart from that it's a standard laptop, with 3.5 hours of battery if you're using wi-fi, and it's on trial in the US market. When it's for sale, it'll cost you $1,800: presumably you won't have to watch a two hour sales pitch to buy one. [Cnet]

Pictures of the ThinkPad X200 surface

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/315099229/

Filed under: Laptops

We got specs on Lenovo's rumored ThinkPad X200 a couple weeks ago, but we didn't really know what it looked like until now -- surprise, it looks like the X300. We're not exactly pumped about the removal of a trackpad in favor of TrackPoint nub, but we suppose something's got to give to hit that 2.9-pound starting weight. One more shot at the read link.

[Thanks, Albert]

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Samsung's Snapdragon super-MID just days away?

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/315222874/

Filed under: Handhelds

While we haven't found an official press release on the subject, AVING is reporting a June 2008 release for a Samsung Snapdragon MID. This according to a Qualcomm official. It's unclear to what extent Sammy's device will make good on Snapdragon's list of "supported" features like 12 megapixel camera, GPS, HD video playback, WiFi, Bluetooth, all day battery life, digital broadcast television (MediaFLO, DVB-H, and/or USDB-T) and dual-mode EV-DO Rev. B and UMTS/HSDPA/HSUPA riding atop a 1GHz processor and Qualcomm's 600MHz always-on DSP. All we've got is this picture of an engineering prototype (actually based on Snapdragon this time) on display right now at the World IT Show.

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