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Wednesday, August 04, 2010

GoPro bringing high-def helmet cams to the masses, launching $180 HD Hero 960

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/08/04/gopro-bringing-high-def-helmet-cams-to-the-masses-launching-18/

If you want high-def footage from your lid you have more choices than ever, but if you're on a budget there just aren't that many. The 720p ContourHD is currently the best value at around $230, but we've received word from GoPro that the company is looking to under-cut that with the upcoming $180 HD Hero 960. We have scant few details about this new model, set for release this fall, but based on the name we're guessing it'll fall short of the current HD Hero's 1080p and offer a maximum of 960p, which should be plenty of pixels for most extremophiles. We also have to figure it will continue with its predecessors boxy stylings, but we'd certainly be happy to see a somewhat sleeker redesign.

GoPro bringing high-def helmet cams to the masses, launching $180 HD Hero 960 originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 04 Aug 2010 12:33:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Engadget's Back to School guide: Digital cameras

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/08/04/engadgets-back-to-school-guide-digital-cameras/

Welcome to Engadget's Back to School guide! We know that this time of year can be pretty annoying and stressful for everyone, so we're here to help out with the heartbreaking process of gadget buying for the school-aged crowd. Today, we've got our optical viewfinders set firmly on digital cameras -- and you can head to the Back to School hub to see the rest of the product guides as they're added throughout the month. Be sure to keep checking back -- at the end of the month we'll be giving away a ton of the gear featured in our guides -- and hit up the hub page right here!

Time for us to open up chapter two of this year's Back to School advice compendium. Up for discussion today are digital cameras, which have been in the gym all year working on their processing prowess and return today with 720p HD video as an almost standard feature. We've got a good cross-section of young pretenders and finely aged veterans for your perusal, so why not give your mouse a little exercise as well and click past the break?

Continue reading Engadget's Back to School guide: Digital cameras

Engadget's Back to School guide: Digital cameras originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 04 Aug 2010 13:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apple Allows iTunes Streaming to iPhone With iDisk [ITunes]

Source: http://gizmodo.com/5604272/apple-allows-itunes-streaming-to-iphone-with-idisk

Well this was unexpected: Apple has quietly enabled its devices to stream music to iPhones, iPads, and iPod Touches from online storage through iDisk. It's the very next-best thing to putting iTunes in the cloud. UPDATED:

The new feature was unearthed by Michael Robertson, who also provided the screen shots above showing clearly that iDisk allows both background music streaming and public file sharing among multiple devices at simultaneously. Matt declared iDisk "halfway there" in his lightning review—this seems like as good a second half as any. You've apparently been able to do this with iDisk for a little while, but this is the first time you get backgrounding support.

It's not totally effortless and there are a few limitiations: you need to drag your music files one by one [or whole folders] to iDisk, there's no playlist support, and you're limited to 20GB of storage. That's still a whole lot of songs, but some users may not be able to fit their entire music library. The app itself is free, but you'll need a MobileMe subscription ($100/year) to use it. There's also the tricky question of legality—music companies aren't generally in favor of streaming music without a license, something that may be holding up iTunes Live.

But that's Apple's problem, not yours. The only thing you need to worry about for now is which tracks are hitting your iDisk first, and where you want to play them from.

UPDATE: Sam's been testing this out, and it works like a charm over Wi-Fi and 3G alike, with "decent" audio quality. [Michael Robertson]

Samsung's PL90 Budget Camera Forgoes Cables With Inbuilt USB Connector [Cameras]

Source: http://gizmodo.com/5604302/samsungs-pl90-budget-camera-forgoes-cables-with-inbuilt-usb-connector

Samsung's PL90 Budget Camera Forgoes Cables With Inbuilt USB Connector Cameras with inbuilt USB connectors are becoming increasingly more common, as manufacturers wake up and realize what the eff they were thinking. The PL90 is one of those fine contraptions, and with a pretty low price, too.

Samsung's cameras aren't up to the standards of Panasonic's or Canon's, but at $150 it's a nice entry-cam. It's got a 12.2MP image sensor, with 4x optical zoom and a 2.7" LCD screen.

Capable of shooting video at 640 x 480 resolution and 15fps, it's got the usual face detection and red-eye fix, along with Objective tracking AF.

On sale in September, it'll cost £130 in the UK, and $150 in the US.

Image Credit: SlashGear

London, UK – August 4, 2010 - Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., a global leader in digital media and digital convergence technologies, today announced the 12.2 mega-pixel PL90 digital camera featuring a built-in USB connector enabling consumers to capture images and connect to a computer on the move without the need for additional wires or cords.

The PL90's integrated USB connector allows content to be shared with friends and family quickly and easily, with the camera's plug and play capabilities, including the Auto-install intelli-studio software, and instant access to any computer via the USB. In addition, users will never have to worry about running out of power with the PL90, as the USB connector also allows consumers to charge the battery without a separate power cord.

"We want consumers to enjoy the entire photographic experience through the PL90, with the ability to capture, connect, and share pictures instantly and even charge on the move," said Steve Mitchell, General Manager, Samsung Digital Imaging. "In this fast-paced world, we understand that our customers need to have these capabilities at their fingertips, and the PL90 puts this power in their hands. The PL90 is further evidence of the continued innovation behind Samsung cameras."

Smart Features

The PL90 features Samsung's new Smart Auto (Still&Movie) technology which enables consumers to capture the perfect picture in virtually any conditions. The intelligent Smart Auto function automatically adjusts the camera's mode to instantly match the shooting environment. Whether the shot is being taken during the day or at night, in portrait or landscape, simply activating the capture button will ensure a beautiful and perfectly tailored image.

The innovative PL90 also features Samsung's Perfect Portrait System which includes several modes to help users take better photos. With the Self Portrait function, users can step out from the behind the camera and know they will be in focus because the camera tracks the subject's face and alerts the user with an audible noise when the subject is in frame. The Face Detection feature automatically detects and recognizes up to twelve different faces simultaneously, ensuring that the faces will be in clear focus, even when the subjects are part of a group photograph. The innovative Beauty Shot function allows users to adjust brightness and face tone, while also reducing flaws on all faces in a photo. The PL90 also incorporates Smile and Blink Detection features which automatically snaps a photo when the subjects are smiling and intelligently detects if the subject's eyes were closed in the shot.

In addition, the PL90 features the intelligent and advanced Smart Album feature. Smart Album enables users to quickly locate pictures without trawling through every individual photograph by automatically managing content on the camera so users can search for images based on the date, time or even colour.

Sharp to launch glasses-free 3D smartphone with 3D camera globally this year

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/08/04/sharp-to-launch-glasses-free-3d-smartphone-with-3d-camera-this-y/

Can't say we didn't see this coming. After wooing us with a number of glasses-free 3D displays -- including the one that gives Nintendo 3DS its magic -- and 3D HD cameras for mobile devices, the company has finally laid down the gauntlet. It's promising to release a smartphone with such an autostereoscopic screen and 3D camera, just like we always wanted, before New Year's Day 2011. It certainly wouldn't be the first 3D phone in the market -- Hitachi touted one early last year for Japanese carrier KDDI, and NTT docomo has had a prototype 3D display -- but a Sharp spokeswoman said that this 3D smartphone would be going international. The more the merrier, we say. Now, how about some more details and a pretty picture or two, eh Sharp?

Sharp to launch glasses-free 3D smartphone with 3D camera globally this year originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 04 Aug 2010 01:03:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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