Hasta La Gadget!

Fujifilm has posted many, many more details about the innovative new hybrid viewfinder on its upcoming X100 rangefinder-style camera. As you may remember, the viewfinder combines both a straight-through optical ‘finder and an electronic viewfinder. Further, these can be combined to overlay histograms and other info onto the optical image.

The finder operates a lot like that of a traditional rangefinder: The image comes through a lens, passes through a prism and then hits the eyepiece. Meanwhile, another window in the front of the camera captures another image, passes it through a bright-frame (which adds framing lines) and reflects it into the side of the prism. Because the angle of this reflected image is linked to the lens’ focus mechanism, you focus the image by lining up overlapping images.

The X100 replaces this second section with an LCD panel. By blanking out the front viewfinder window and switching a live-view onto the panel, the photographer sees a 100% view, just like with any other EVF. Open the window back up, and the LCD panel can superimpose anything onto the optical view. I already mentioned the histogram, but you could also overlay focus points and exposure info. It can also lay over a bright-frame for composing, adjusted for parallax (essential when the viewfinder is above and beside the “taking” lens).

The rest of the details on the two new pages are rather technical (and also very interesting). The “Reverse Galilean” lens configuration, for example, uses a pair of simple spherical lenses, but employs high-refraction-index glass to keep things small. This the camera remains compact, but the viewfinder still has a comfortable 0.5x magnification and a 15mm eye-point, meaning even spectacle wearers can easily see the full-frame.

Full marks to Fujifilm for putting out this level of information ahead of the launch. It seems the company is pretty proud of this camera, and we can’t wait to try it when it finally shows up in the new year.

Finepix X100 Story, Viewfinder [Finepix]

Hybrid Viewfinder [Finepix]

See Also:

• So Hot: Fujifilm X100 Mixes Optical and Electronic Viewfinder in …
• More Details of Fujifilm's Retro-Tastic X100 Revealed

Boxwave’s keyboard case for the iPhone 4 looks to be just about perfect for the person who loves their iPhone, but still pines for the hard keys of their BlackBerry. They’ll also need big pockets – not because the case is particularly expensive, but because it adds quite a bit of thickness to the already chunky iPhone. Boxwave doesn’t list the size, but from the photos, it appears to double the iPhone’s depth.

The keyboard itself is a landcape slider combined with a snap-on case which leaves the front of the phone clear. It’s a Bluetooth model (battery life, 45 days) and has a row of numbers up top as well as the standard QWERTY. You also get a home button and a search button, especially handy as it means you don’t have to reach up to the touch-screen to swap apps. What you don’t get is a proper spacebar, but there are both shift and caps-lock keys.

Despite the bulk, this fat accessory manages to be fairly elegant, and has cut-outs for the camera and all the edge-switches. Finally, the case charges via USB.

Like I said, it’s perfect for the keyboard-lover who has defected to an iPhone. But how many of those are there these days? I have a feeling that the people who simply cannot use an on-screen keyboard will just stick with a BlackBerry, or move to a keyboard-equipped Android phone. After all, who really wants to double the thickness of an iPhone 4? $80.

Keyboard Buddy iPhone 4 Case [Boxwave via iLounge]

See Also:

• IPhone Case Adds Vestigial QWERTY-Slider Keyboard
• Keyboard-Dock for iPhone Has Media Keys, Controls PC, Mac
• Fat QWERTY Keyboard Turns iPhone 4 into Giant Plastic Slab …
• Ultimate Keyboard Smackdown: iPhone Vs. Stylus Vs. Chiclets …

Just kidding. In fact, Schiit Audio won’t be responsible if you do wind it to 11 and blow the ear tips right off of your favorite canalphones. The drop-dead sexy box that you’re peering at above is the Lyr, a hybrid (tube-MOSFET) headphone amplifier that claims to have zero feedback and more power than most headphones will ever have use for. This guy’s pumping out six solid watts into 32 ohms, while loads of rivals are dabbling in milliwatts. It’s relying on JJ ECC88 tubes for the input stage and touts less than 0.1 percent THD, and it’ll be produced in the US of A using components that were also primarily sourced from American suppliers. It’s expected to start shipping in March of 2011, but those already sold on it can commit $449 to a pre-order. And before you ask — yes, the company name is hilarious. Ha. Ha.

Continue reading Schiit Audio reveals gorgeous six-watt Lyr headphone amplifier, dares you to touch 11

Schiit Audio reveals gorgeous six-watt Lyr headphone amplifier, dares you to touch 11 originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 28 Dec 2010 06:42:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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James Whelton won a pink 8-GB iPod Nano and on the plane on his way back home, he hacked it. While he hasn’t jailbroken the Nano, he did get the better of the little device and dug out some interesting details of what may be possible.

James got control of the Nano’s SpringBoard, the iPod equivalent of a desktop, where all app icons appear. Normally, the Nano’s OS checks to make sure that it isn’t trying to load a modified version. James bypassed this check and proved it by removing an app icon, leaving a blank space (see video below).

That’s cool and all, but the SpringBoard plist (a plist is a file that Apple’s devices use to store preferences) shows that it could be simple matter to switch on support for movies, TV shows, games, an address book, a calendar and even a passcode lock. Here’s a picture of the extracted file:

Watching video on the tiny, square Nano screen seems kind of pointless, but so what? And unlike iOS devices which receive updates regularly, the normal iPods get one or two updates in their lifetimes, if ever, so there wouldn’t really be any reason not to hack one.

To be clear, the Nano hasn’t been jailbroken yet, and James hasn’t been able to do anything more interesting than make an app icon disappear. Still, it’s a start. We’re looking forward to seeing if hackers are able to come up with a full jailbreak for the best wristwatch of 2010.

Hello Nano [NanoHack.me]

See Also:

• Hands-On With New Apple iPods
• The One-Dollar iPod Keychain Hack
• Hack Turns 5G iPods into iPhones. Almost

Been questioning the value of having omnipresent surveillance cameras tracking your every move? Well, if you’re an outlaw, you still won’t like them, but for the rest of us law-abiding types, London’s Metropolitan Police has a comforting stat to share: almost six crimes a day are being resolved with the help of CCTV footage. It’s being used primarily to aid the identification of perps on the run, and the number of suspects identified as a result has gone up to 2,512 this year. There is a bright light for criminals, however, as the Met admits digital recordings aren’t kept around as long as VHS ones used to be, meaning that if you slip the dragnet once, you’ll probably be alright. So good news for everyone!

CCTV cameras help solve ‘six crimes a day’ in London, says Metropolitan Police originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 28 Dec 2010 05:37:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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