Hasta La Gadget!

Kia has announced that it has completed the rollout of its K-series line of vehicles inside Korea. The last product in the K line was the refreshed K3 sedan. The new K3 has been in the works for six years reports the Wall Street Journal and is the latest vehicle and Kia’s attempt to shed its bargain car image.

The car was styled by Kia’s styling team led by former Audi designer Peter Schreyer. Schreyer and his design team also designed the Kia K7, K5, and K9, which are all radical departures from previous generation designs. The K3 sells in the United States as the Forte and is available in other markets as the Cerato.

In the first half of the year, sales of this particular model were down 25%. Kia hopes that its K3 sedan will sell 410,000 units globally in 2013. Korean pricing for the K3 with 1.6-liter engine and a six-speed automatic transmission will equate to about $13,350 in the US.

This year, Kia hopes to sell 2.71 million vehicles around the world, which would be a 9.5% increase compared to last year. Last week Kia union workers approved a new contract ending strikes at the automakers plants. To end the strikes, Kia agreed to end night shifts and shorten work hours. There have been 33 different strikes since July 13 by Kia workers.

[via Wall Street Journal]

Kia launches K3 sedan in Korea is written by Shane McGlaun & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

This week is the annual Photokina conference in Cologne, and that means one thing: new cameras. Olympus today outed two of its new offerings, compact interchangeable lens cameras based around Micro Four Thirds sensors. The E-PM2 is Olympus’ smallerst and lightest PEN design, and aimed at entry-level users, while the E-PL5 is aimed more at slightly more demanding users and includes a swivelling screen, but both inherit a number of welcome features from Olympus’ well-received and much more expensive EM-5 model.

The EM-5 was celebrated first and foremost for its autofocus speed, one of the main areas where Micro Four Thirds and other compact interchangeables have lagged behind DSLRs in terms of performance. In hands-on use, Engadget found that focusing with these new cameras was nearly instantaneous with every lens they tried, save for some slight sluggishness when paired with Olympus’ 60mm f/2.8 macro, but macros often have to hunt a bit, and in general the performance of these two seems to push the bar forward considerably for the category.

They also sport a tweaked design with retro styling also borrowed from the EM-5, adding a hand grip for the E-PM2 which its predecessor the E-PM1 lacked. Both get an upgraded 16.8MP sensor, and image processing tech that promises improved low-light performance ranging up to 25,600 ISO, and new 3-inch 460,000-dot LCD displays with touch navigation. They also ship with a free coupon for a Toshiba FlashAir card, which operates like an Eye-Fi SD card to sling media from your camera to your computer wirelessly But maybe coolest of all, Olympus also introduced a new lens for its PEN line that alos doubles as a body cap, which a fixed focal length of 30mm operating at f/8.0. It makes for a super slim profile on the new PENs, making them almost, but not quite as pocketable as something like an RX100 with a lens that’s decent for walkaround outdoor shooting.

The E-PL5 retails for $650 body-only, or $700 with a 12-42mm f/3.5-5.6 kit lens, and the E-PM2 sells for $550 body alone, or $600 with the same kit lens. All configurations include an external flash, the FL-LM1. Both ship in October.

It’s not a secret in the least thanks to a video slip-up by Panasonic a few days ago, but today the company is ready to officially announce the successor to its venerable GH2, the Lumix DMC-GH3. This Micro-Four Thirds mirrorless shooter is nearly as big as some entry-level DSLRs, but it’s loaded with features to make up for it. Packed inside its dust- and splash-proof magnesium alloy body, you’ll find a 16.05-megapixel Live Mos sensor that’ll handle 200 to 12,800 ISO natively with extension from 125 to 25,600. Aiding it is Panasonic’s latest Venus engine, which enables 6 FPS burst shooting (20 in 4-megapixel mode).

Notably, Panasonic is pushing this as a “multimedia” shooter given its robust video features. Unlike many ILCs, the GH3 touts unlimited recording time, so you won’t be held back by the likes of the camera overheating — sadly, the approx. 29-minute recording restriction for PAL regions is in place however. You’ll be able to shoot in either MP4, MOV, AVCHD or AVCHD Progressive, with a maximum bandwidth of “72 Mbps (ALL-Intra) / 50 Mbps (IPB).” The formats can be recorded using frame rates of 24, 30 and 60p (excluding MOV and AVCHD), and you’ll even be able work with SMPTE time-codes for syncing footage easily in post production.

On back, there’s an articulating 3:2 614K-dot OLED touchscreen, which can be used for tap-focusing while recording video, along with a 16:9 1,744K-dot OLED view finder — both of which provide 100% frame coverage. Thanks to included WiFi connectivity, you’ll be able to control the camera from your mobile device — although, its HDMI out may be better suited for film-making. Along the side, there’s a duo 3.5mm jacks for monitoring and recording audio straight from the camera with a mic of your choosing or a Panasonic’s optional shotgun mic. Speaking of accessories, an F2.8 35-100mm lens will also be introduced with the camera, touting a dust- and splash-proof design. There’s no word on price just yet for the GH3 or its accessories, but we’re told the camera will hit shelves for a number shy of $2,000 when it’s released later this year. The unit we got eye-on time with was an admittedly rough and early build, but you can check it in detail at the gallery above while we get some more impressions at Photokina. You’ll also find extended details in the press release after the break.

Zach Honig contributed to this report.

Continue reading Panasonic’s GH3 mirrorless camera gets official: 16MP, WiFi and 72Mbps HD video in a ruggedized body (hands-on)

Filed under: Cameras

Panasonic’s GH3 mirrorless camera gets official: 16MP, WiFi and 72Mbps HD video in a ruggedized body (hands-on) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 17 Sep 2012 07:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The typical consumer may not realize all the individual components that are inside computer or a smartphone. There’s a myriad of little chips inside devices sourced from all around the world for things such as memory and storage. DRAM chips are the key components inside computing devices and smartphones that allow them to operate more quickly.

Since the 1980s, computers have been the main consumer of DRAM chips in the technology industry. However, data released by research firm iSuppli last week showed a major change in DRAM consumption for the first time since the 80s. Computers used 49% of all DRAM chips manufactured in Q2 of this year.

That left other devices such as smartphones and tablets consuming 51% of all DRAM chips manufactured, overtaking the computer industry for the first time in decades. The percentages are expected to continue to tip in favor of tablets and smartphones. By the end of 2013, iSuppli predicts that PCs will use only 42.8% of the DRAM chips produced.

DRAM chips are used inside of computers and other devices to store short-term information to help shorten the time it takes to process information inside the computer. Long-term storage inside smartphones and computers typically use hard drives with magnetic platters or solid-state storage using NAND chips. ISuppli expects that with the market tipping towards mobile devices as the main consumer of DRAM chips, manufacturers will increasingly focus on making better chips for smartphones, tablets, and other mobile devices.

[via Reuters]

Smartphones and tablets overtake PCs as major consumer of DRAM chips is written by Shane McGlaun & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

While the lawsuits that have been grabbing the headlines recently have been between Apple and Samsung, here’s one that might impact those of you who play Blizzard’s World of Warcraft, and possibly any other MMO in the future. According to US District Judge Denise J. Casper, the patent infringement lawsuit filed by Worlds Inc. against Activision Blizzard will be going to court in 2013. For those unfamiliar, Worlds Inc. has accused Activision Blizzard of infringing upon its patents in the World of Warcraft game. (more…)

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Activision Blizzard sued by Worlds Inc. over alleged patent infringement, World of Warcraft: almost a million subscribers lost last quarter,