Hasta La Gadget!

If you’re an adventurous type of person, then Polaroid has a new line of sports video cameras aimed directly at you. Revealed at Photokina, the new Polaroid XS line is for those who need their cameras to stand up to abuse while still being portable enough to record and snap pictures on the go. The average consumer probably won’t find much value in these cameras, but if you’re a sports enthusiast and spend every weekend taking in nature, these are the cameras for you.

We’ll start with the Polaroid XS7 (pictured above), which features a professional CMOS sensor that can capture video in 720p and snap 5-megapixel pictures. This camera features a 2-inch screen on the back that allows you to immediately check out your pictures and video, and comes encased in a waterproof shell. That case means that the XS7 can be submerged in up to 10 meters of water without taking damage, so those who like to spend their free time scuba diving or snorkeling might want to give this one a look.

Next up is the XS20, which features the same professional CMOS sensor as the XS7. Like the XS7, the XS20 is waterproof as well, although this one can handle depths up to 20 meters. It also comes with 8 LEDs for “shooting in all environments,” and a battery that Polaroid claims can shoot for three hours. Finally, the XS20 comes equipped with motion sensors to initiate recording, which would make the XS20 a good choice for security recording – it even looks like a security camera in the image above.

Rounding out these three new cameras is the XS100, the best of the bunch. The XS100 sports a professional 5MP sensor, with 720p, 960p, and 1080p recording capabilities, along with the ability to shoot 3MP, 5MP, and 16MP images. It’s ultra wide lens gives a 170° shooting angle, and it has multiple frame rate settings to take advantage of, ranging from burst shooting mode to slow motion. Like the other two cameras, the XS100 is waterproof (up to 10 meters), and on the inside, we’ve got a auto rotation G-sensor, which means that the camera will “always capture the best shot, no matter it’s position.”

All three of these cameras come packed with bike and helmet mounts, so if you’re always looking for the next big adventure, you can have your camera with you and shooting at all times. The prices seem pretty reasonable too, with the XS7 coming in at $69.99, the XS20 at $99.99, and the XS100 at $199.99. All three will be available at Polaroid retailers starting in mid-October, though a specific release date is still unknown. Are any of these cameras for you?

Polaroid announces new line of sports video cameras is written by Eric Abent & originally posted on SlashGear.
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Yesterday’s lab installment gave us an opportunity to pit the Lumia 920 against competing smartphones in a low-light capture scenario, but Nokia’s standard battery of tests is used to evaluate and improve far more than stills shooting. Several stops throughout the day brought us to a foam-filled sound chamber tasked with analyzing call quality in a variety of environments, a room with industrial freezers and ovens used to push the limits of operability, and a rig that can shoot with interchangeable sensors and apply image quality algorithms in real-time, without a handset in sight. Unfortunately, due to proprietary technologies and processes, we weren’t permitted to photograph these first facilities, though we did manage to snap away at two other stations — a platform that shifted up and down at adjustable speeds to test the Lumia 920’s optical image stabilization, and a machine that drops smartphones against a block of concrete, used to simulate that all-too-frequent occurrence of handsets plunging towards pavement.

We’ve seen plenty examples of the 920’s OIS capabilities this week, so we won’t go into much more detail on that front, but specialized (and pricey) equipment enables engineers to introduce consistent processes — this machine simulated hand shake at different speeds, and even with exaggerated movement, the benefits were clear. A separate building contained the drop test contraption, which releases devices from an adjustable height, letting them land directly on a block of polished concrete. We tested both the 808 PureView and a Samsung Galaxy S III in this manner (with roughly 100 Lumia prototypes currently available, Nokia wasn’t quite willing to risk sending one to its death). Both smartphones remained in perfect working order following the drop, so it’s likely that they’ll be able to handle a similar fall during regular use as well (company reps offered to test our iPhone 5, but we declined handing it over). That wraps up our week at Nokia’s facilities in Finland — there will be plenty more to explore once we have a Lumia sample in hand, but you’ll find the OIS test and concrete plunge videos ready right now, posted just after the break.

Continue reading From the lab: Lumia 920 image stabilization and 808 drop test at Nokia R&D (video)

Filed under: Cellphones, Cameras, Mobile

From the lab: Lumia 920 image stabilization and 808 drop test at Nokia R&D (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 27 Sep 2012 17:27:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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O2 and ThreeUK have announced that they’ll be carrying Sony’s Xperia T, the phone James Bond totes ’round in Skyfall. He’s got a tough decision on his hands depending on which network he chooses, however, with O2 offering an exclusive tie-in edition of the handset with custom ringtones and pre-release images. On the other hand, he probably gets through plenty of data reading classified files and flicking through the Tom Ford catalogue, so perhaps he’d prefer Three’s unlimited data. Either way, you can follow in the footsteps of your hero right now, with price plans starting from £30 per month.

Continue reading Sony’s Xperia T is now available on O2 and ThreeUK, Walther PPK/S not included

Filed under: Mobile

Sony’s Xperia T is now available on O2 and ThreeUK, Walther PPK/S not included originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 27 Sep 2012 17:05:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We knew about the Chengdu J-20—China’s fifth generation stealth fighter. As it turns out, it’s not the only one. According to China Defense Blog, this is the J-21/J31. It looks even more like the F-22 Raptor than the Chengdu. More »

Facebook may be singlehandedly responsible for the most “happy birthday” wishes in history, and it previously had a program where real money was spent for virtual gifts, so it’s not a huge leap to their new program, Facebook Gifts. The program consists of an online store, run by Facebook, and a streamlined process to give gifts from that store to a Facebook friend. Based on the birthday sidebar alone, Facebook could sell millions of gifts and save thousands from embarassment.

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By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Facebook bug results in messages on friends’ walls that cannot be deleted, Zombie Facebook fans hacked down, zombie apocalypse staved off for now,