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Thursday, June 24, 2010

Canon patent application takes in-camera HDR to the pixel level

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/06/23/canon-patent-application-takes-in-camera-hdr-to-the-pixel-level/

There's certainly cameras out there that offer in-camera HDR (or High Dynamic Range), but none that go quite as far as what Canon has detailed in a recently published patent application. The short of it is that Canon's proposed method would alter exposure values at the individual pixel level, which should effectively emulate what's now possible but stitching together multiple photographs taken at different exposure settings -- and, for that matter, even open up some new possibilities since those single-pixel exposure values could be tweaked at will. Of course, there's no indication as to what type of camera the method would be used in, or any evidence that Canon has actually taken it beyond the patent application stage, so we wouldn't recommend getting too excited about the possibilities just yet.

Canon patent application takes in-camera HDR to the pixel level originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 23 Jun 2010 11:11:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Motorola Droid X for Verizon official: July 15 for $200

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/06/23/motorola-droid-x-for-verizon-official-july-15-for-200/

There was little about the mighty Droid X that we hadn't already known -- but for what it's worth, Verizon and Motorola have teamed up today to expose everything we want to know about the next Android beast for Big Red. The 4.3-inch 854 x 480 handset features Android 2.1 with an all-new UI skin, a TI OMAP3630 processor galloping along at 1GHz, HDMI out, 8 megapixel camera with dual LED flash and 720p video capture, and 8GB of onboard storage with expansion of up to 32GB (you get a 16GB card in the box) all stuffed in a package 9.9mm thick. Software wise, you've also got an integrated mobile hotspot with support for up to 5 devices connected over WiFi, DLNA support, and a legit multitouch keyboard with Swype built-in. It won't launch with Froyo, but that'll come later in the Summer as an upgrade along with Flash 10.1 support; the phone will be available on July 15 for $199.99 on contract after rebate, while the mobile hotspot service will run $20 extra a month with a 2GB cap and 5 cent per MB overage (data consumed on the phone itself is unlimited). Mirroring AT&T's move with the iPhone 4, all Verizon customers with upgrade dates in 2010 will be pulled up so they're eligible for the Droid X as soon as it's available. Follow the break for the full press release.

Continue reading Motorola Droid X for Verizon official: July 15 for $200

Motorola Droid X for Verizon official: July 15 for $200 originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 23 Jun 2010 13:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Tokyo Institute of Technology announces SSD-packing, 2.39 petaflop supercomputer

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/06/23/tokyo-institute-of-technology-announces-ssd-packing-2-39-petafl/

IBM has announced plans to start using SandForce SSDs in its enterprise machines, and now it looks like the Tokyo Institute of Technology is doing one better, working with NEC and HP to produce Tsubame 2.0. This next-gen supercomputer will reportedly operate at 2.39 petaflops (that's a lot of flops!) and uses a new multilevel storage architecture consisting of DRAM as well as SSDs. Not only will this bad boy have thirty times the computing capacity of Tsubame 1.0 (due in part to its some 2,816 Intel Westmere microprocessors and 4,224 NVIDIA Tesla M2050 GPUs), its power draw should be some 1/25th of its predecessor's. If all goes according to plan, it should be in operation this fall, at a cost of ¥3.2 billion (approx $35.5 million).

[Thanks, Dylan]

Tokyo Institute of Technology announces SSD-packing, 2.39 petaflop supercomputer originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 23 Jun 2010 14:06:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Eye tracking Tobii Glasses enable 'fully valid research' from a bodaciously styled pair of shades

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/06/23/eye-tracking-tobii-glasses-enable-fully-valid-research-from-a/

If you're looking to get in touch with some styling cues you left behind in the '80s, or perhaps just perform a study on effective product packaging, Tobii Technology would like you to get a load of these. They're called Tobii Glasses, a pair of eye-tracking specs that look a little less obtrusive than some others we've seen, but despite that are also a bit less practical. These glasses pack a VGA camera, write to a hip-mounted unit with SDHC storage, and rely on IR emitters ~~that apparently must be~~ scattered about the field of vision that the researcher is looking to study. Those emitters enable very accurate and reliable monitoring of where the research participant is looking, but also seem to restrict the glasses' to use in rather contrived circumstances. So, perhaps not the best solution for seeing just how far your husband's eyes wander on an average day, but possibly an ideal accessory for all you marketing research managers out there.

Update: We got a note from Rasmus Petersson at Tobii Technology indicating that, indeed, the glasses can be used without the IR transmitters -- you just lose some automation when it comes to data aggregation at the end of the study. So, married dudes, look out if your wife buys you a new set of specs for your birthday.

Eye tracking Tobii Glasses enable 'fully valid research' from a bodaciously styled pair of shades originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 23 Jun 2010 15:10:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Motorola Droid X first (official) hands-on and unboxing! Update: video!

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/06/23/motorola-droid-x-first-official-hands-on-and-unboxing/

Yeah, we kind of already saw this phone, but if you don't tell Motorola and Verizon, we won't. We just got our hands on an official, final Droid X at the NY launch event, and it tastes just as sweet. Here are a few notes:

It's built of basically the same material as the Droid, but there's something almost kind of "taut" about the phone, where when you thwack it with a finger it resounds like a drum. The phone vibration seems to work on this same principle, giving it much less of the typical buzz (in the funky, cheap sense) you expect.
There are three mics, and in video mode you can select between "scenes" based on which mic you want to use: outward facing for regular shoots, inward facing for narration. The third mic is up top for noise cancellation during calls.
Yeah, there's not kickstand, but the EVO 4G really does seem chunky up against the Droid X, and the camera bulge on the latter is not annoying at all.
PHYSICAL BUTTONS.
You get your choice between Swype and Motorola's multitouch keyboard, which is really pretty great. We were typing at speed within a few seconds of using it.
You can tell that the processor is fast, but the UI still has a jerky quality to it -- it's not totally fluid. We'd say that's more of an Android thing, though.
The new version of Motoblur is much, much more attractive than before -- the widgets are sleeker, smaller, and less in your face. You can also resize them, and they rearrange themselves somewhat intelligently.

Update: Video after the break!

Gallery: Motorola Droid X unboxing