Camera inspired by insect eyes can see 180 degrees, has almost infinite depth of field

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/05/02/camera-inspired-by-insect-eyes/

Technologists have been drawing inspiration from the insect world for a long time. And folks working on robotics really seem to love their creepy-crawlies and buzzing arthropods. Researchers at the University of Illinois are looking to our eight-legged planet mates, not for mobility lessons, but as a reference for a new camera design. The system mimics the vision of bees and mantises by combining multiple lenses on a half hemisphere to provide a 180-degree view with a nearly infinite depth of field. The optics themselves are described as "soft, rubbery" and each individual microlens is paired with its own photodiode. The work gets us a heck of a lot closer to the dream of a digital fly eye than previous efforts, though we're likely still quite a while from seeing applications outside of the lab. DARPA funding suggests the artificial compound eyes may have a future in surveillance, though the researchers also see uses for it in medicine.

Filed under: Cameras

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Via: The Verge

Source: University of Illinois

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WSJ: Samsung Galaxy and iOS devices to be approved by US Defense Department

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/05/01/wsj-android-ios-us-dod-pentagon/

Our armed forces began embracing Android and iOS some time ago, and now it appears that the US Department of Defense is finally jumping on the bandwagon, too. The Wall Street Journal reports that the DoD will be announcing security approvals for Samsung Galaxy handsets, iPhones and iPads in the next couple weeks -- allowing them to join BlackBerry in the government's secure smartphone stable. Apparently, Samsung's approval was facilitated by its Knox security platform, which has been deemed secure enough to allow it to be used to send and receive internal emails, and Apple devices running iOS 6 and up are also expected to get the go-ahead for nonclassified communications. So, people of the Pentagon, it looks like it's only a matter of time before you can put down your BB7 handset and pick up a smartphone with a more modern OS.

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile

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Source: Wall Street Journal

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Intel details 4th-gen Core's HD 5000, Iris and Iris Pro graphics: up to 3X faster, 3-display collage mode

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/05/01/intel-details-4th-gen-cores-hd-5000-iris-and-iris-pro-graphics/

Many already believe that the real highlight of Intel's 4th-generation Core processor lineup would be a giant graphics update. Today, Intel is revealing that they're right -- and, importantly, that there's an equally large shift in naming strategy. Where 3rd-generation Core graphics were divided into two tiers, the new generation is focused on three, two of which are built for performance over efficiency. Ultrabooks with 15W U-series processors will use comparatively ordinary (if still faster) HD 5000 graphics. Thin-and-light laptops with 28W U-series chips get a new tier, Iris, that Intel claims is up to twice as fast in 3D as last year's HD Graphics. Power-hungry parts see even more of a boost: they can carry Iris Pro graphics with embedded DRAM, which should double the 3D speed on H-series mobile chips (47-55W of typical power) and triple it for the R-series (around 65-84W) on the desktop. We also know that M-series laptop and K-series desktop CPUs will have Iris Pro options.

The feature set for the graphics trio is slightly more familiar to us, although there are a few tricks up Intel's sleeve. All three can draw DirectX 11.1 and OpenGL 4 visuals, as well as take on OpenCL 1.2 computing and faster media processing. We're almost more interested in the display modes, though. Along with receiving "enhanced" 4K output, the new Core graphics can handle a 3-screen collage mode -- we won't need dedicated video for a large, multi-monitor canvas. Sadly, Intel isn't providing more than incidental details about the processors themselves, although it has already teased that we'll get the full story around the Computex show in early June.

Gallery: Intel HD 5000, Iris and Iris Pro graphics details

Filed under: Desktops, Laptops, Intel

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Source: Intel

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Microsoft reportedly working on Mohoro, an Azure-hosted remote desktop service

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/05/02/microsoft-mohoro-virtualization-service/

Microsoft is plumbing the depths of cloud computing yet again with the development of what could be a pay-per-use desktop virtualization service called Mohoro. According to ZDNet's Mary Jo Foley, Mohoro is essentially Azure's answer to Remote Desktop, but as a hosted service. Intended for "companies who want thin clients or to run legacy apps on new PCs," her source states that, "With Mohoro, you click a few buttons, deploy your apps, use Intune to push out configuration to all of your company's devices, and you're done," thus skipping the need for server infrastructure. As Foley points out, however, Azure-hosted virtual machines aren't currently set up to run Windows clients under Microsoft's licensing terms. What's more, Mohoro development is reportedly in its early days, and as such, Foley speculates that it won't be a reality until much later -- she's guessing the latter half of 2014.

Filed under: Networking, Microsoft

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Source: ZDNet

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MediaTek's new chip offers entry-level smartphones a dual-core SoC with HSPA+ on the cheap

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/05/02/mediatek-mt6572-gives-entry-smartphones-a-dual-core-soc/

As glad as we are that MediaTek ushered in affordable, quad-core SoC designs with the MT6589, even that silicon can only go so far in making smartphones accessible. The company's new MT6572 might be frugal enough to lower some of those few remaining barriers. The all-in-one part mates a cheaper dual-core, 1.2GHz ARM Cortex-A7 processor with HSPA+ 3G, China-focused TD-SCDMA, Bluetooth, GPS and WiFi, dropping the construction costs beyond what even the chip's quad-core sibling can manage. While the MT6572 can only handle up to a qHD display, a 5-megapixel camera and 720p video, that's more than enough to improve baseline features in a category where many recent entry-level phones still tout single-core CPUs and WVGA screens. Its rapid arrival in the marketplace may be crucial, too. MediaTek expects the first phones based on the MT6572 to roll out in June -- just in time to keep the world's transition to smartphones moving at full steam.

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile

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Source: MediaTek

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