Samsung Galaxy Camera review: a 21x compact shooter brought to life by Android

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/11/14/samsung-galaxy-camera-review/

There were no heckles, boos or crickets for Samsung's reps back at IFA. But it's fair to say that the atmosphere following its unveiling of the Galaxy Camera was as muted as it was polite. It didn't help that most journalists in that meeting room were there primarily to see the Galaxy Note II, which was undoubtedly the show's headline act. It was also worrisome that Nikon had recently released a half-hearted Android camera of its own -- the Coolpix S800c running on lowly Gingerbread. And finally, some folks in the room -- ourselves included -- may have been put off by Samsung's talk of "convergence," in reference to the fact that the Galaxy Camera has a micro-SIM slot for HSPA+ cellular data. After all, the whole notion of converged hardware has lost the sheen it once had. Hybridized, perhaps. Modular, maybe. But please, not a camera-phablet.

Here's the thing, though: the Galaxy Camera is not a converged device. It's a camera, plain and simple. It just happens to be one that's hooked up (in a multitude of ways) to the glorious world of Android. More specifically, we're looking at full-throttle Jelly Bean sitting astride the same optically stabilized 21x zoom lens and almost half-inch 16-megapixel sensor that have already been deployed in Samsung's WB850F WiFi camera. These are components which far exceed anything you'd find in even the most image-conscious smartphone. If you want to put a label on it, it's probably more meaningful to describe all this as software convergence. The same OS and cloud-connected apps that have so radically transformed phones, tablets and TVs are now also being deployed in a camera -- and there's no reason why they shouldn't be just as invigorating in this new role. At the very least, don't dismiss this device as a curiosity until you've read our take on it.

Gallery: Samsung Galaxy Camera review

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Filed under: ! Cameras, Wireless

Samsung Galaxy Camera review: a 21x compact shooter brought to life by Android originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 14 Nov 2012 09:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Scientists Make Shake-to-Charge Cellphones a Real Possibility

Source: http://gizmodo.com/5960440/scientists-make-shake+to+charge-cellphones-a-real-possibility

Need to make a call but run out of juice? Just give your cellphone a shake for an extra burst of power - that's the idea behind a new cellphone charger that turns movement into energy.

Shashank Priya and his colleagues at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg are designing an emergency onboard charger that draws energy from the piezoelectric force generated by your fingertips clicking the keypad, your voice - or just by giving the phone a good old shake.

The researchers experimented with zinc oxide, a common piezoelectric material, to see how well it converts vibrations from sound and pressure waves into energy to power a phone.

They subjected the material to sound waves of 100 decibels, which made the material vibrate and produce an electrical current at about 50 millivolts. In a cellphone, the piezoelectric material would be mounted below the keys and convert mechanical vibrations into energy that could be stored for later use.

It wouldn't produce a great deal of power - certainly not nearly enough to continuously operate a phone - but would be sufficient for an emergency situation, says Priya.

"In an emergency you could just shake your cellphone for a few minutes to get enough power to make this one important call," he says.

For everyday use, the same group recently completed a micro wind-turbine charger that fits into a water-bottle-like container. The charger generates a watt of power with wind speeds of around 8 to 10 kilometres per hour. It connects to a cellphone with a standard USB connection and charging time is normally in the range of 45 minutes to an hour-and-a-half, Priya says.

Image by DAJ/Getty

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New Scientist reports, explores and interprets the results of human endeavour set in the context of society and culture, providing comprehensive coverage of science and technology news.

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Jellyfish-mimicking device could snatch cancer cells right out of the bloodstream

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/11/14/jellyfish-inspired-microchip-captures-cancer-cells/

If you think the picture above looks like droplets of blood being snared in a sticky tentacle, then you have a scarily active -- but in this case accurate -- imagination. It's actually a microfluidic chip that's been coated with long strands of DNA, which dangle down into the bloodstream and bind to any cancerous proteins floating past -- directly imitating the way a jellyfish scoops up grub in the ocean. If required, the chip can release these cells unharmed for later inspection. According to the chip's designers at Boston's Brigham and Women's Hospital, the catch-and-release mechanism can be put to both diagnostic and therapeutic use in the fight against Big C, and can also be used to isolate good things, like fetal cells. The next step will be to test the device on humans -- at which point we may owe an even greater debt of gratitude to our gelatinous friends.

[Image credit: Rohit Karnik and Suman Bose]

Continue reading Jellyfish-mimicking device could snatch cancer cells right out of the bloodstream

Filed under: Science, Alt

Jellyfish-mimicking device could snatch cancer cells right o! ut of th e bloodstream originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 14 Nov 2012 07:32:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Verizon brings wireless monitoring service to Lowe's Iris smart home system

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/11/14/verizon-brings-wireless-monitoring-service-to-lowes-iris-smart/

If you're haunted by dreams of left-on irons and stoves while trying to holiday, Verizon has announced it'll team up with Lowe's to help you wirelessly correct any carelessness. The operator is bringing a USB modem to Lowe's Iris smart home system, letting you monitor and manage your house remotely from a smartphone, sans WiFi or broadband. That'll let you track family members (or intruders) and control thermostats or appliances via smart plugs. Lowe's kits start at $180, so if you'd rather hear "are we there yet?" instead of "is the house on fire yet?" on your next trip, tap the PR after the break.

Continue reading Verizon brings wireless monitoring service to Lowe's Iris smart home system

Filed under: Cellphones, Household, Verizon

Verizon brings wireless monitoring service to Lowe's Iris smart home system originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 14 Nov 2012 08:32:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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WSJ: Samsung Is Betting Big on Flexible Phones

Source: http://gizmodo.com/5960408/wsj-samsung-is-betting-big-on-flexible-phones

We've known for a while that Samsung is readying phones with flexible screens. Now, though, the Wall Street Journal is reporting that it's pushing forward with the concept more quickly than ever, in order to avoid being beaten to the finish line by other firms.

The new phones simply swap plastic for glass in the screen. The OLEDs you find in plenty of other displays can be put on flexible materials—like metal foil—which then makes it possible to create a device which is both unbreakable and bendable.

Samsung hasn't told the Journal how much it's invested in the new bendy phones. However, it points out that it has been spurred along by growing innovation in the display market, from the likes of LG and Sharp. Seems that's enough to rush out a bendy phone as soon as possible.

Which is just what it plans to do. The Journal reports that a "person familiar with the situation" told it that devices will be released in the first half of 2013. Bendy phones for all!

But that raises a fine question: who the hell wants a bendy phone anyway? Aside from plenty of gimmick value and the ability to flex when squeezed into the pocket of your tightest pants, it's not obvious what it adds to the user experience of a phone. Is a bendy phone something you want in your life? [WSJ]

Image by Samsung

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