Posts Tagged photography
Apple Releases new line of small and powerful iPods
Posted by admin in Audio Gadgets, iPod Gadgets on September 1st, 2010
Buttons are back on the new iPod Shuffle
Steve Jobs announced smaller and thinner iPods today at Apple’s Fall Music Event. With smaller, new designs for the iPod Shuffle, iPod Nano and a thinner, more powerful iPod Touch, Apple is poised to hit the entertainment market in music, movies and gaming like never before. And just in time for the Holidays.
Let’s start with the iPod shuffle. As if it couldn’t get smaller, it does. And the best part is, Apple has brought back buttons along with voiceover to make navigation of songs easier. The Shuffle is a tad larger than your thumb, has a clip, and has over 15 hours of battery life. In 5 colors (Blue, Pink, Green, Yellow, and Silver), the Shuffle will sell for $49 for 8GB.
46% Smaller and lighter, the new iPod Nano has multi-touch
The biggest change has come in the iPod Nano, which is now 46% smaller and is multi-touch. That means that Apple has dumped the control wheel and gone to complete touch navigation. It’s slightly larger than the Shuffle, which shows how small it really has become. Apple has dropped the video camera feature but has brought in a clip to make it easier to wear (which is great for athletes and runners) , has an FM Radio, Nike Pedometer, and 24 hours of battery life. Comes in seven colors (the same colors as the shuffle plus black and red) and starts at $149.
The new iPod Touch is as powerful as the iPad and even thinner.
Lastly, is the new iPod Touch, which has Apple’s blazing A4 processor and Apple’s pioneering HD Retina display with four times more pixels and an ultra sharp 326 ppi and 24-bit color. The iPod also sports the 3-axis gyro control and Apple also announced GAME CENTER, a social networking vehicle which will allow players to take on each other via WiFi in cyberspace playing a wide variety of games including a new game from Epic Games called Project Sword, and action packed RPG adventure with action happening in real time.
Additionally, the Touch will be able to take advantage of dual cameras and FaceTime with which it can communicate to iPhone 4 users and iPod Touch users over WiFi Video conferencing. And the latest iTunes has a great new social network called PING which enables fans to listen to new music from friends playlists, comment socially about it and download them on the spot. The iPod will also enjoy high dynamic range photography and HD video and be able to edit courtesy of the iMovie App.
The new iPod Touch goes on sale next week, just in time for Christmas for $229 / 8GB, $299/32GB and $399/64GB. With gaming, music, and HD movies, the new iPod Touch is going to be a hot item come Christmas.
Cool Gift Idea: Digital Picture Frames, check out our reviews.
[ Apple Releases new line of small and powerful iPods copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]
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Apple Releases new line of small and powerful iPods
Nine-year old sends camera into space
Posted by admin in DIY Gadgets on June 24th, 2010
Some of you might remember when we reported the two MIT students who managed to take pictures of the curvature of the Earth with about 150 dollars worth of materials. It would appear that they aren’t the only ones, and their efforts have been imitated by a nine-year-old.
Yes, this boy, Isaac Kubas, managed to build the apparatus that took the cool picture which you see to the right. I’m certain from what the mother says that he had some help, at least with the higher math skills.
His invention had a camera that snapped one picture each minute, and they tracked it with a cell phone GPS. They actually lost the signal during their experiment, and thought it was lost somewhere in Illinois. It was actually found about 125 miles away from its starting point of Austin, Texas.
Well, this is definitely one giant step in the life of Isaac Kubas, and he plans on entering his project for his 4H club. Oh man, how would you like to be one of the other kids at that science fair? Do you honestly think that your baking soda volcano will stand a chance to the kid who made a space-faring balloon? I didn’t think so.
Since Isaac is the second person that we have reported on who has done this, then we should really call this hobby something. How about “curvature ballooning”?
Tech Cult – We cover the latest tech news, but always with a funny twist.
[ Nine-year old sends camera into space copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]
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Nine-year old sends camera into space
Acadalus CPS-H1 self-leveling camera head
Posted by admin in Audio Gadgets on May 1st, 2010
One of the most difficult problems about shooting pictures with a camera on a tripod is keeping the camera level.
Generally, the bubble level attachment is for that, or you could get the Acadalus CPS-H1.
The CPS-H1 is a self-leveling camera head with a built-in digital inclinometer, and it can automatically level the camera at the touch of a button. I’m guessing that the other buttons are for subtly adjusting the camera for artistic angles.
I can tell you that this device is probably better than my so-called steady hands or eyeballing what is level. I mean, do you really want prints that look like the world is tilted?
Heck no! Everyone knows that a machine with their technological ways of aligning are so much better than probably the greatest photographer. I’ll bet artists that can draw a perfect circle can’t keep the camera level. Assuming they would want to take photos, of course.
Unfortunately, this technology costs, a lot. It is about $5,000, which is more than most cameras or tripods, for that matter.
Man, if you can afford one of these things, then you had better be one of those photographers that thousands of dollars per job. Because at five grand a pop, this device had better focus and do all the other settings for me.
Tech Cult – We cover the latest tech news, but always with a funny twist.
[ Acadalus CPS-H1 self-leveling camera head copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]
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Acadalus CPS-H1 self-leveling camera head
The new ID of the future?
Posted by admin in Future Concepts on January 12th, 2010
One of reasons why I go to CES is to see the newest gadgets. Some of these new devices are definitely planned to be out this year, and some will be out years from now. Watch the video of the RFID card reader with the OLED display and see which category that falls under.
Essentially, it is an ordinary card reader for reading an ordinary ID. As soon as the card goes over the reader, an OLED screen comes alive, and gives a 3D view of the face. I don’t think that the 3D effect is true 3D, but it is enough to let the user see a face at many angles like a mugshot, and even a close-up.
There are those who find this technology “creepy”. I believe my source says this puts the “eep” in “creep”. In all honesty, I believe that this is where the future is headed when it comes to ID, no doubt about it. If we really want RFID, OLED, and 3D tech, then this is what we are going to get when it comes to personal identification. Did we really doubt otherwise? I mean, it would be like inventing the camera and being surprised that photos appear on our driver’s licenses.
The only thing that really scares me is that the ID card says “Specimen”. Excuse me? I thought that this is a human being that we are seeing in the picture here. Maybe that’s what is freaking everyone out.
Thanks to Netbook news for the source of the story!
Cool Gift Idea: Digital Picture Frames, check out our reviews.
[ The new ID of the future? copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]
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The new ID of the future?
3D Rendering not difficult with ProFORMA
Posted by admin in Future Concepts on November 24th, 2009
Whenever I think of 3D scanning, I think of this very complicated process of a multitude of cameras surrounding an object, taking pictures at every angle, and then blending them all together with a computer.
A PhD student at the Cambridge University Engineering Department named Qi Pan has made like Apple and “thought different”.
As you can see from the video after the jump, Pan took a detailed paper building and rotated it on an axis, filming it with an ordinary web camera. His ProFORMA (Probabilistic Feature-based On-line Rapid Model Acquisition) program scanned it, and he immediately had something ready for 3D model generation. He could even shake the real thing and move it, and the CG image would do the same. Wild!
A program like this can have a lot of applications, but all I can think about is the way it will change animated films with 3D computer animation. Instead of some graphics designer having to painstakingly make an object for three-dimensional space, all the programmers would need is a simple rotational scan. It’s better technology than motion-capture!
This man Qi Fan has just made computer animation history, and I look forward to the next PIXAR or PDI film that will use it. Of course, the technology is still under development, but I can see it being in the hands of a typical consumer.
Tech Cult – We cover the latest tech news, but always with a funny twist.
[ 3D Rendering not difficult with ProFORMA copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]
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3D Rendering not difficult with ProFORMA
Two MIT students capture images of Earth from space for under $150
Posted by admin in DIY Gadgets on September 16th, 2009
See that picture to the left? Beautiful, isn’t it? Believe it or not, it wasn’t shot by a million-dollar satellite, but a simple handheld camera by two M.I.T. students who haven’t been to space, yet.
Justin Lee and Oliver Yeh didn’t have Dennis Tito’s $20 million dollars to go into orbit, but what they did have was a weather balloon, a styrofoam cooler, hand warmers, a GPS enabled phone, and a Canon A470 point and shoot camera.
They cut a hole in the bottom of the cooler, and positioned the camera inside. They put the hand warmers and GPS-enabled phone inside, so it would not freeze in the upper atmosphere. They tied the contraption to their weather balloon, and the rest is DIY history.
Their device made it up to 93,000 feet, which technically isn’t space, but Project Icarus was high enough to shoot breathtakingly high photos. All of it was done at a relatively low budget of $148.
I will have to salute these two students for their DIY spirit. It reminds me of the Chinese man who built his own helicopter. I like stories like this because they remind us that our dreams can come true with a little technology and a lot of ingenuity.
Tech Cult – We cover the latest tech news, but always with a funny twist.
[ Two MIT students capture images of Earth from space for under $150 copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]
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Two MIT students capture images of Earth from space for under $150
With the Eyeball R1, someone’s a Star Wars fan in the Military
Posted by admin in Audio Gadgets on August 22nd, 2009
The Eye Ball R1 can give troops a better view of enemy positions with a simple toss.
There’s a great scene in the Cartoon Network original Star Wars Clone Wars series where Arc Troopers, pinned down and badly needing a fresher perspective, take a spherical probe droid camera and toss it high in the air. The camera gives the troopers a birds eye view of the entire city around them, spotting enemy positions and giving them great advantage when attacking. Well, someone must be a Star Wars geek because Uncle Sam and Remington Technologies have created the Eye Ball R1 Throwable Camera System.
It can’t float high in the year, yet, but this compact, lightweight, spherical camera is designed for high risk tactical situations for military and law enforcement to get a vital viewpoint of what’s going on where they can’t see.
The completely Eye Ball R1 System
Once deployed by a good, strong toss, the Eye Ball R1 can capture video up to 25 yards away and broadcast it wirelessly to their position to a personal display unit (PDU) at up to 200 yards from where it lands. Audio can also be broadcast as well. The PDU can view two Eye Ball R1s at the same time and in full color to it’s 6 1/2″ LCD screen.
In close quarters, the Eye Ball could save lives by seeing around corners.
And what else is cool, is that the Eye Ball is omni directional, rotating at 4 revolutions per minute to identify any potential targets and provide up to a 55 by 41 degree field of view. And if the camera lands upside down, the camera image can be flipped by the operator.
The Eye Ball R1 can operate for a maximum of 2 hours, while the PDU can run for 3 hours. But expect that to increase as the technology matures. And only Arc Troopers know if it’ll every fly.
Hat Tip - Defense Review
Introducing Foolish Gadgets because not all gadgets are cool
[ With the Eyeball R1, someone’s a Star Wars fan in the Military copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]
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With the Eyeball R1, someone’s a Star Wars fan in the Military
iConvert, therefore I am watching no more VHS
Posted by admin in Audio Gadgets on August 18th, 2009
I’m sure that some of you are like me, and have hundreds of VHS tapes on the shelves that are hardly watched, simply because the formatting is so poor. And these are probably the ones that you don’t have on DVD!
Yes, this digital age has seen the end of video tape, but video tape can be brought into digital format with iConvert. This device needs no computer, but connects to the VCR, camcorder, DVD player, or whatever you want put on a standard SD or SDHC card.
All you need to do is just press play, and iConvert records your favorite movies in their grainy format. From there, you can take out the card and transfer digital videos to your computer or other digital device.
Of course, you are probably going to have to spend a lot of time putting in old movies, then taking them out to put on your computer. However, this might be a great way to sift out the ones that you really want. I mean, do you really want Ghostbusters on VHS when you can just buy it on DVD in a much clearer format for less than eight dollars. Better yet, watch it for free on crackle.com?
If this is up your alley, then I highly suggest heading over to the Brookstone website and lay down $99.95 for it.
Check out the Coolest Gadgets 2008 Gift Guides, Christmas shopping made easy.
[ iConvert, therefore I am watching no more VHS copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]
Creases in your photo prints? HP can get rid of those.
Posted by admin in Future Concepts on August 13th, 2009
I’m sure that many of you have had photo prints sent to you with the words “Do not bend” on the envelope, only to find that the postman ignored the instruction. You then discover that your prints have creases that ruined what could have been perfect photos.
Fortunately, HP is working on a process that can remove that accursed crease from your photo prints. Best of all, the process requires no special equipment but an ordinary flatbed scanner.
Most scanners use two separate lights to artificially capture the color of a photograph. If these lights move independently from each other, then two separate images can be captured. The software can then kick in and do the “infilling” process of removing pixels inside the scanned crease, replacing them with pixels outside the crease.
There is still a lot of bugs to be worked out of this process, as any defects that lie against the glass cannot be detected, and bigger creases could be a problem.
Still, it is good to see that someone is thinking ahead when it comes to restoring old photo prints. I’m sure we all love the Red-eye removal feature, so why not come up with a process that removes those creases?
Cool Gift Idea: Digital Picture Frames, check out our reviews.
[ Creases in your photo prints? HP can get rid of those. copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]
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Creases in your photo prints? HP can get rid of those.
Camera Cube keeps photos straight
Posted by admin in Audio Gadgets on August 12th, 2009
Keep your images straight and level with Camera Cube.
Budding photographers tired of their images looking like a bad guy leir in Batman may want to pick up the Camera Cube to keep their photos balanced and straight.
Based on the same design as a contractor’s construction level, the bubble design enables photographers to precisely align their camera on all three axis’ to create a solidly level image. All your camera needs is a hot shoe flash mount to snap the cube on top of. Then users merely make sure the bubbles are within the leveling lines.
Features include:
• Attaches to any hot shoe
• Perfectly level photos, every time
• 1″ x 1″ x 1″ cube
• Spend less time editing, more time shooting
• 3-axis level so you can shoot horizontally or vertically
And while it will help anyone take a straighter image, when composing an image, chances are you’ll lose the composition while looking up to see if the bubbles are within the leveling lines. So the Camera Cube is probably better suited for when photographers are using tripods for those locked down, stable images. And with a tripod’s three adjustable legs, sometimes it helps to have a measurement to be sure that all three legs are evenly adjusted up or down. And the CamCube comes in handy for that as well.
All for only $15.
Hat Tip - D’Vice
Check out the Coolest Gadgets 2008 Gift Guides, Christmas shopping made easy.
[ Camera Cube keeps photos straight copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]
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Camera Cube keeps photos straight