drag2share: Sony's new cameraphone CMOS jams bigger gear into the same space (video)

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/01/23/sony-layered-cmos/

Sony's done gone and developed a new back-illuminated CMOS designed to improve the state of your casual camerawork. Traditional units mount a merged pixel-sensor and circuit on a supporting substrate -- the innovation here is to produce the two separately and layer them without any additional material. This makes manufacturing easier and without a mount, you're able to lever-in bigger kit into the same space. It's also packing HDR Movie, which like the still-image version, will produce better moving pictures in tricky light. An eight-megapixel version will ship to cellphone producers in March, with a 13-megapixel edition following in June and if Sony's really successful, it might earn enough to buy a copy of Photoshop rather than producing release images in MS Paint.

Continue reading Sony's new cameraphone CMOS jams bigger gear into the same space (video)

Sony's new cameraphone CMOS jams bigger gear into the same space (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 23 Jan 2012 11:56:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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drag2share: Sony VAIO series get minor processor refresh, Z series grabs LTE option on the way

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/01/23/sony-vaio-processor-spring-refresh-z-series-lte/

Ahead of any possible Ultrabook announcements, Sony's looking to give its existing VAIO catalogue a (relatively underwhelming) shot in the arm with a bundle of hardware retweaks. The Z series looks to gain the most out of the Spring refresh, with a new off-white Carbon Fiber Silver color option set to be offered up alongside an optional LTE modem. The series also gets a processor step-up, with new Intel Core i5 and i7 options rounded off with the choice of SSD storage. Including the connectable drive, prices for the series refresh will start from $1,950. Meanwhile, both the S (13-inch, $800, 15-inch, $980)and E series will get a similar bump to Core i7 processors, with both the S and aforementioned Z series able to lock into an extended sheet battery accessory. If minor processor improvements, more battery options and LTE connectivity enough to fork over your cash, you can expect the revitalized units to arrive early next month.

Sony VAIO series get minor processor refresh, Z series grabs LTE option on the way originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 23 Jan 2012 02:06:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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drag2share: Scientists produce stronger T-rays, bring Tricorders closer to reality

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/01/23/scientists-produce-stronger-t-rays-bring-tricorders-closer-to-r/

A group of scientists from Imperial College London and Singapore's Institute of Materials Research and Engineering (IMRE) have developed a new technique that could have far reaching impacts for Star Trek fans everywhere. It all involves something known as Terahertz (THz), or T-rays: electromagnetic rays that have already been used in full-body airport scanners and have the potential to be used across a much broader range of medical and environmental applications. Because every molecule can be uniquely identified within the THz range, these T-rays can be used to pick up on cancerous cells and other biological matter, perhaps even within a Tricorder-like scanner. Now, Imperial College's Stefan Maier and his team of scientists say they've found a way to create a stronger beam of T-rays, using so-called "nano-antennas" to generate an amplified THz field. In fact, this field can produce about 100 times more power than most other THz sources, which could allow for sharper imaging devices. "T-rays promise to revolutionize medical scanning to make it faster and more convenient, potentially relieving patients from the inconvenience of complicated diagnostic procedures and the stress of waiting for accurate results," Maier explained. "Thanks to modern nanotechnology and nanofabrication, we have made a real breakthrough in the generation of T-rays that tak! es us a step closer to these new scanning devices." For more details, check out the links below.

Scientists produce stronger T-rays, bring Tricorders closer to reality originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 23 Jan 2012 05:22:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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drag2share: Kingston launches new family of high performance SSDs, doesn't care if you're a business or a consumer

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/01/20/kingston-launches-new-family-of-high-performance-ssds-doesnt-c/

Kingston's turning its SSD solutions up to eleven on its new SSDNow family of products. The SSDNow V+200 is a solid state drive toting SATA 3.0 SandForce SF-2281, capable of up to 535 MB/s read speeds and 480 MB/s writing speeds. Regardless of whether it's for your office or home rig, Kingston reckons it's got your storage needs covered, offering up the V+200 in 60GB, 90GB, 120GB, 240GB and 480GB sizes. The 2.5-inch drives arrive with self-encryption as standard, alongside a three-year warranty with support -- something that's getting increasingly rare. The full press release is waiting below.

Update: Prices, alongside the upgrade kit, range from $156 to $985 -- depending on exactly how many photo albums you need on solid state storage.

Continue reading Kingston launches new family of high performance SSDs, doesn't care if you're a business or a consumer

Kingston launches new family of high performance SSDs, doesn't care if you're a business or a consumer originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 20 Jan 2012 16:47:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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drag2share: Eye-Fi CEO slams SD Association's eerily similar Wireless SD card standard, says his IP is being violated

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/01/20/eye-fi-threatens-sd-association-wireless-lan-sd-standard-ip-violation/

Yuval Koren is not pleased. For those unaware, he's the CEO of Eye-Fi, the company that has practically written the rules on embedding WiFi into SD cards. If you blinked last week, you probably missed the SD Association's announcement that it had created a new Wireless LAN SD standard that would effectively give just about anyone the ability to add Eye-Fi abilities to their SD cards. As it turns out, Eye-Fi's none too pleased about it, and Koren has gone so far as to publicly admit that the standard is seriously infringing upon highly valuable Eye-Fi technology. To quote: "As [the SDA's standard is] currently written, essential Eye-Fi patented technology would be violated by anyone implementing this draft specification." Bold.

He goes on to explain that his company has invested "tens of millions of dollars and several years to create unique technology that lets people wirelessly transfer photos and videos directly from their camera and mobile devices," and calls the SDA protocol "flat out misrepresentation." He's effectively calling for the SD Association to either pony up and license Eye-Fi's tech, or scrap the "standard" and rewrite it using something else altogether. The full letter is posted up after the break, with absolutely no elation to be found.

Continue reading Eye-Fi CEO slams SD Associat! ion's ee rily similar Wireless SD card standard, says his IP is being violated

Eye-Fi CEO slams SD Association's eerily similar Wireless SD card standard, says his IP is being violated originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 20 Jan 2012 23:39:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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