Sony pumps $994 million into building stacked CMOS that lets smartphones record HDR Video

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/06/22/sony-stacked-cmos-investment/

Sony is pumping 80 billion yen ($994 million) into its Nagasaki Technology Center, the home of its innovative stacked CMOS. Unlike traditional versions, the image sensor and circuit are mounted on top of one another, rather than side-by-side across a supporting substrate. The tweak means it shaves valuable millimeters from its body while producing far clearer images and, best of all, HDR Video. With the investment (and some Government subsidy) the company aims to pump out 60,000 wafers per month by the end of 2013. Given that both Samsung and Apple both use Sony's imaging equipment in their flagships, we can hope that the 13-megapixel units find their way into the next generation of handsets.

Continue reading Sony pumps $994 million into building stacked CMOS that lets smartphones record HDR Video

Sony pumps $994 million into building stacked CMOS that lets smartphones record HDR Video originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 22 Jun 2012 06:57:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments

Read More...

Summary only...

Eurocom Monster 11.6-inch notebook: Ivy Bridge, Kepler, 16 GB RAM, multiple personalities

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/06/22/eurocom-monster-11-6-inch-notebook-ivy-bridge-kepler/

Mobile gamers and server pros aren't exactly cut from the same cloth, but Eurocom is targeting them both with its Clevo rebadged, 11.6-inch, sub-four-pound Monster notebook. That idea is crazy enough to work, since a fully spec'd model will have an Ivy Bridge Intel Core i7-3920XM processor, 16GB of DDR3-1600 of RAM, a 240GB SSD or 1GB Hybrid drive, and on-board NVIDIA GT 650M graphics running at 850MHz. The 1366 x 768 screen might be a touch undersized for gamers, but they could let that slide since the processor can be safely overclocked up to a decent 3.8GHz. As for business pros, the company claims the Monster could be used as a portable server, run multiple VMs of Windows and Linux, or high-end engineering apps like MatLab. As usual with Eurocom, you can configure the system in dozens of ways, including matte or glossy screen, Sandy Bridge or Ivy Bridge processors and multiple RAM or disk setups. Pricing and delivery dates weren't given, but if it's up your alley, check the PR and your wallet -- or hit up Ned in accounting.

Continue reading Eurocom Monster 11.6-inch notebook: Ivy Bridge, Kepler, 16 GB RAM, multiple personalities

Eurocom Monster 11.6-inch notebook: Ivy! Bridge, Kepler, 16 GB RAM, multiple personalities originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 22 Jun 2012 07:58:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments

Read More...

Summary only...

Revolutionary Coating Could Kill Touchscreen Glare Forever [Guts]

Source: http://gizmodo.com/5920275/revolutionary-coating-could-kill-touchscreen-glare-forever

If Sony manages to perfect its fantastic new low-reflection display coating, one day you may never fear using your touchscreen device in a bright room, too close to overhead lights, or even outside when it's sunny. Because glare will be a thing of the past.

Previously, touchscreen manufacturers have tried to reduce glare on their displays by using layers of different materials with varying refraction indexes. And working together, they help minimize the reflection of external light sources into your eyes. But Sony's new approach involves a special film it's developed that was inspired by how a moth's eyes work. Across its surface is a pattern of microscopic concave and convex structures that serve to evenly bounce light away from the user, reducing glare. And apparently the approach works on an even wider range of wavelengths than the anti-reflective coatings currently in use.

The improvement means less squinting for the user, or having to awkwardly angle their device away from a light source. And since increasing the display's brightness is one way to reduce glare in current devices, it will also let users increase their battery life by turning down their displays. Next step: actually getting this stuff from being just a fancy trade show tech demo to actually on devices.

[Tech-On! via Geek.com]

Read More...

Summary only...

Pentax K-30 Hands-On: The Fastest, Toughest Inexpensive DSLR We've Ever Used [Cameras]

Source: http://gizmodo.com/5920384/pentax-k+30-hands+on-the-fastest-toughest-inexpensive-dslr-weve-every-used

The promise of the new Pentax K-30: The toughest, fastest DSLR that won't break your bank. We just tried it out for the first time, and so far we're impressed. An $850 DSLR body shouldn't feel this good.

Lower-end DSLRs can take great photos, but the build quality's usually pretty cheap, and their performance on can be a little sluggish. If you drop them they'll break, and don't expect respond to your every desire.

The Pentax K-30 is weather-sealed for "all weather conditions." The company told us it'd be good to go in a monsoon. We didn't get a chance to put the camera under water, but it does feel a lot sturdier than the Nikon D3200 we used to take pictures of it. One detail we didn't notice before is that the cheaper 18-55mm kit lens isn't actually fully weather-sealed—Only the special 18-135mm lens is. Packaged together the lens and camera will run you $1100. That's cheap considering DSLRs can get ridiculously expensive, but it's not $900 like the cheaper kit package.

What's really impressive is the camera's performance. It's the fastest we've used in its price range. The camera's autofocus locks on instantaneously, and in continuous mode the camera peels of shots at 6 fps, which is faster than the 5 fps Canon T4i.

And make no mistake, the T4i is the K-30 main competitor. Its brand new Live View autofocus should make shooting video a breeze. Plus the T4i's touchscreen controls are the first of their kind on a DSLR. The K-30 and T4i come in at the exact same fully loaded $1100 price, so we'll see if the camera's ruggedness and speed are enough to counter Canon's innovations.

We haven't closely inspected the images from the Pentax K-30, so we don't yet know what kinda of image quality the camera's 16-megapixel APS-C sensor is good for. We'll let you know when we've spent more time with the camera.

Read More...

Summary only...

University researchers develop AWARE-2 camera, hope it hits the mainstream in five years

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/06/21/university-researchers-develop-50-gigapixel-camera/

Gigapixel cameras aren't exactly hot-off-the-presses, but a few wizards at Duke and the University of Arizona may be close to getting that sort of technology into your future point-and-shoot. Reportedly, electrical engineers with gobs of free time and an imagination the size of Coach K's ego have managed to synchronize 98 minuscule cameras -- each with a 14-megapixel sensor -- "grouped around a shared spherical lens". The real kicker here is the hope for the future: these same researchers feel that "within five years, as the electronic components of the cameras become miniaturized and more efficient, the next generation of gigapixel cameras should be available to the general public." The prototype itself measures a whopping 2.5-feet square and 20 inches deep, but only around 3 percent of it is made of optical elements; the vast majority is circuitry needed to calculate the stupefying amount of information captured with such a device.

University researchers develop AWARE-2 camera, hope it hits the mainstream in five years originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 21 Jun 2012 15:51:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Nature, TG Daily  |  Duke  | Email this | Comments

Read More...

Summary only...