Looks like Apple is making good on its promise to approve more apps–including this one, which plays just about any video you care to copy to your iPad. pOriginally posted at a href=”http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-31747_7-20017092-243.html” class=”origPostedBlog”iPad Atlas/a/p
Need a few new pixels to display your shiny new digital images on? LaCie‘s got you covered, with its new 324i offering a premium feature set to accompany a premium price. Aimed specifically at creative pros with the pockets to appreciate a 10-bit P-IPS panel, exceedingly wide color gamuts (102 percent NTSC; 98 percent Adobe RGB), a slew of input connectors (DVI-D, HDMI, component and DisplayPort), 178-degree viewing angles and an anti-glare coating. The 24-inch panel boasts a 1920 x 1200 resolution, and the multifunction stand enables users to pivot the display for horizontal or vertical viewing. We gawked at it for a few minutes here at Photokina, and while the design is thoroughly corporate, the picture quality is indeed stunning. Other specs include a 1000:1 contrast ratio, a trio of USB 2.0 ports and an integrated cable manager; she’s on sale today for a stiff $1,249.99, but man, we’d almost pay it for that anti-glare action.
Continue reading LaCie pushes serious pixels on 24-inch 324i professional IPS display
LaCie pushes serious pixels on 24-inch 324i professional IPS display originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 21 Sep 2010 12:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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The list of what we don’t know about the next generation Apple iPad is long indeed. Let’s start with what we think we possibly probably do know. First, there will, in all likelihood be a new Apple iPad. The first one moved a lots of units, and everything that we know about Steve Jobs points to the fact that he likes to sell things and make money.
Second, the new iPad is most likely coming in January of next year. Apple tends to roll out major upgrades to its hardware on an annual basis–the company does this with the iPhone, iPod, and Macbook. While we don’t have too many past iPad announcements to draw upon, the same will likely hold true for the iPad.
The first iPad was launched on January 27, 2010. If you’re looking to book a trip to San Francisco in order to get yelled at by Jobs for using up his precious Wi-Fi, I would clear the last week or two of January on my calendar.
Here’s what we don’t know: pretty much everything else.
There’s a new round of rumors circulating about the iPad 2. On the list of supposed features is a seven-inch screen (down from 9.7 inches) and two video cameras (front and rear facing) with HD recording, which would finally make the device the FaceTime teleconferencing machine it’s always been meant to be.
The source of the rumors? An analyst. Ashok Kumar from Rodman & Renshaw. No blurry spy shots, no leaked specs from a Taiwanese component manufacturer, no iPad prototypes left behind after a night of drinking at a Redwood City, CA bar.
It’s more speculation for speculation sake–which is all well and good, just don’t mistake it for a real, honest-to-god rumor.
We’ve heard Sony use the term “Advanced Model” when dealing with concepts before, and it seems that it’s using said code once more to disguise what may end up being the A77. Rumors have been flaring over the past few weeks, noting that this particular Alpha DSLR would be showcased at Photokina before being officially unveiled at CES 2011. Few details were given, but we’re able to tell that it’ll shoot HD video in AVCHD and will be compatible with a vertical grip. Moreover, it’ll ship with a translucent mirror (as found in the A55 and A33) and an Exmor APS HD CMOS sensor. At the company’s Photokina press conference, an executive noted that the cam will be “far more powerful than the a55,” and that it’ll be aimed at “serious enthusiast photographers.”
A slew of concept / prototype lenses were also encased (including a comically large 500mm f/4 cannon) at Sony’s booth, not to mention a few that’ll definitely be available from 2011 and 2012. Back at the presser, we were informed that a grand total of ten A-mount (Alpha DSLR compatible) lenses will be on sale by 2012, and it’s also considering working with a number of partners in order to develop third-party E-mount lenses for the NEX range. Moreover, a firmware update is slated for mid-October to bring autofocus support to A-mount lenses used on E-mount cameras, aperture control in video mode and customizable keys, while the NEX-VG10 Handycam will see an A-mount lens firmware update in November. Speaking of E-mount cameras, Sony’s also developing its own micro flash for use in low(er)-light situations, and considering that it recently grabbed a full 50 percent of the mirrorless market share in Europe, we’d guess it’s nowhere near slowing down on the innovation. Smiles all around, right?
Sony ‘Advanced Model’ (Alpha A77?) DSLR emerges at Photokina, E-mount firmware coming soon originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 21 Sep 2010 11:20:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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South Korea’s Metal Sound Design makes gorgeous speakers. pOriginally posted at a href=”http://news.cnet.com/8301-13645_3-20017010-47.html” class=”origPostedBlog”The Audiophiliac/a/p
PlayStation 3 owners with 3D TVs can now update their game consoles to enable Blu-ray 3D playback. pOriginally posted at a href=”http://news.cnet.com/8301-13506_3-20017096-17.html” class=”origPostedBlog”The Digital Home/a/p
With the success of the Kindle, Nook, Sony readers, and tablets like the iPad, it seems like electronic books have finally arrived. But I think we’re actually still stuck in between two developmental phases on the way to the future.
For a long time, work on interactive books was about building either theory or prototypes. People talked about what multimedia reading might or could or should look like, and they built what were mostly one-off or low-volume projects using CD-ROMs, software applications, or the web.
Now, though, the theory and the prototypes have blended: even when designers and programmers don’t have the resources to put their ideas into production, they have the visual tools (and we have the device literacy) to make concept videos that explain clearly what we think/hope the future of reading will look like.
Here are three examples. The first (which you may have already seen) is from Microsoft, demonstrating its aborted Courier tablet project:
The second, which I think is very smartly done, is from the design consultancy firm IDEO. It details three concepts: “Nelson,” a reading application that incorporates commentary on and context for the primary text; “Coupland,” a reader with a built-in social- and sharing-network; and “Alice,” an interactive/participatory reading/gaming app where readers can “unlock” elements of a story by manipulating the device or traveling to geotagged places.
This third concept video, from Canadian new-media-publishing firm PadWorx, is for an interactive electronic version of Bram Stoker’s Dracula scheduled to ship this fall:
The breadth of approaches reflects the difference in backgrounds. There are relatively few people currently working in this space with a long history of working on interactive fiction. E-books — even future-concept e-books — assembled by traditional publishers or booksellers tend to look like a traditional publisher’s or bookseller’s idea of what a book ought to look like. Microsoft casts a wide net, but it’s fundamentally a computer software company; IDEO has futurists who work in design and advertising; PadWorx’s e-book is assembled by makers with a background in film, animation, and video game design, and it shows.
For another view of an actual (not projected/conceptual) application — one perhaps driven slightly more by a mobile app designer’s experience — look again at Stephen Fry’s wonderful, autobiographical myFry app:
I don’t think anyone knows exactly what the future of reading will look like. But I think we may finally have a handle on how we might try to see and explain it before it finally arrives.
Mark Hurd’s on-going headache is over–well, at least this part is. The tech executive can finally focus his attention back on more important things, like helping to run a multi-national corporation and, well, and other things…
Hurd stepped down as the CEO of HP last month, over expense report irregularities. The resignation also coincided with the surfacing of a sexual harassment lawsuit filed by actress Jodie Fisher, who has appeared in such blockbusters as Intimate Obsession and Body of Influence 2.
At the time of his departure, Hurd’s pal Oracle CEO Larry Ellison told the press,
The HP Board just made the worst personnel decision since the idiots on the Apple Board fired Steve Jobs many years ago. That decision nearly destroyed Apple and would have if Steve hadn’t come back and saved them. HP had a long list of failed CEOs until they hired Mark who has spent the last five years doing a brilliant job reviving HP to its former greatness.
With that sort of fiery indictment of HP’s actions, it likely didn’t come as much of a surprise when Ellison snapped Hurd up to fill in a hole vacated by co-presiodent Charles Phillips, who had himself become the target of sexy controversy after billboard featuring him and alleged ex-mistress YaVaughnie Wilkins began cropping up all over the place.
HP was quick to file suit against Oracle, claiming breach of contract and the potential for misappropriation of trade secrets, due to intimate knowledge that Hurd had gained while running the company. According to the suit, the hiring violated confidentiality agreements signed by Hurd.
According to the outspoken Ellison, the suit was “vindictive.”
HP this week announced that it had dropped the suit and that, as a result, the two companies have “reaffirmed their long-term strategic partnership.”
As part of the deal, Hurd is dropping a multi-million dollar HP stock severance. Given his announced base salary of $950,000 at Oracle, plus a bonus of up to $10 million, I think he’ll probably land on his diamond-covered feet.
MetroPCS was quite serious when it said it wanted to have commercial LTE up and running in 2010 — and indeed, it has made good on its word today with an official launch in Vegas. Of course, you need hardware to go along with a new network, and that’s not much of a surprise either: the long-discussed Samsung Craft becomes not just MetroPCS’ first 4G handset, but the first LTE phone to launch commercially anywhere in the world. It’s not a smartphone, but it’s got a 3.3-inch AMOLED display, 3.2 megapixel camera, and a full QWERTY slide. Interestingly, MetroPCS is not offering tethering (or any modems) at this time, which means the only way you’re going to be able to enjoy those blazing speeds is on the handset itself. The carrier is offering basic unlimited service for $55 for a month, while another $5 will net you unlimited on-demand video streaming from 14 networks. The Craft, meanwhile, runs $299 contract-free — and since it’s dual-mode, it’ll work just fine on MetroPCS’ CDMA network once you leave the blackjack tables. Follow the break for Samsung’s press release.
Continue reading MetroPCS launches LTE network in Las Vegas, Samsung Craft along for the ride
MetroPCS launches LTE network in Las Vegas, Samsung Craft along for the ride originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 21 Sep 2010 10:51:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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This week we check out the new NFL FanVision device, which Scott demoed live from this week’s Jets game. It’s a slightly dated looking handheld screen that gives you access to instant replays, other game highlights, and more, all while you’re sitting in the stadium.
/pp
Following that, we discuss our recent a href=”http://cnettv.cnet.com/samsung-galaxy-tab-unveiled-new-york-city/9742-1_53-50093180.html%20″hands-on demo with the Samsung Galaxy Tab/a, along with the exciting news that Google Docs editing is coming to both Android and iOS within weeks.
/pp
We also act out the latest testy Steve Jobs e-mail exchange with an equally tone-deaf college student, and finally show some some amazing video we shot that very morning, of a daredevil window washer, working on a high ledge without any kind of safety harness.
/pp
!–pagebreak–
Related links:br
gt;gt;
a href=”http://gawker.com/5641211/steve-jobs-in-email-pissing-match-with-college-journalism-student” Steve Jobs gets in an e-mail fight, again/abr
gt;gt;
a href=”http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-20017037-1.html”Smart stadium TV: NFL FanVision, hands-on
/abr
gt;gt;
a href=”http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2010/09/three-million-businesses-have-gone.html”Google docs coming to iPhone, Android
/abr
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