Hasta La Gadget!

This week the team at ZEISS have announced that they’ll no longer be branding their lens family with the name of their founder. Though we’re not sure how Carl will look upon this decision himself, we’ll light a flash bulb in this two-word brand’s memory for sure. Carl Zeiss AG and ZEISS will move forward with the one dominant word from here on in – and a history of the brand has been recounted by the company as well, splits and reformation and all.

What we’ve got here are a couple of images of some lovely ZEISS lenses that are becoming ZEISS-ised in name. You’ll find the technology behind these amalgamations of plastic, metal, and glass to be the same – it’s just the power of the name that’s being updated. And it’s certainly not the first time this sort of thing has happened with the company.

As spoken of by ZEISS this week in a bit of a celebratory gesture for the update, the brand as well as the logo has made some major change-ups over the years.

The big news here is that the lenses made by the company – microsopes, eyeglass lenses, measuring machines, binoculars, and of course camera lenses – will all be working with ZEISS where they’d otherwise be including the name Carl.

“Throughout the company, the label ZEISS can be found on products in most markets and product areas. The lenses have for the most part been the exception here for historical reasons. The decision to also label all lenses “ZEISS” with immediate effect provides an opportunity to retell the history of the brand name.”

You’ll know the name Carl Zeiss if you’re a smartphone fan from such recent gems as the Nokia PureView brand lineup and the Nokia 808 PureView, the first and most stand-out entry from the pack. You’ll also see the Carl Zeiss two-name brand on the Nokia Lumia 720, the larger (yet smaller) Nokia Lumia 925, and essentially every Lumia in-between.

Masses of Sony cameras work with the Carl Zeiss brand – and have been making a transition for some time, as well. The camera you’re seeing here is the Sony CyberShot RX100 II, working with both the Carl Zeiss name on its lens and the blue/white ZEISS banner logo below.

You’ll find oddities in the history of this brand as well – the Carl Zeiss Cinemizer Plus video headset works with the Carl Zeiss brand on its lens (and a “Works with iPhone” logo on its box).

The grid of logos you’re seeing here comes from ZEISS in order – the original trademark of the company now known as ZEISS being the Carl Zeiss Jena label. This is what ZEISS calls its first “lens-shaped label” as well, this circular shape appearing throughout the brand’s history.

After a variety of separations including those in the Carl Zeiss Oberkochen and VEB Carl Zeiss Jens split saw such oddities as the OPTON “West Germany” differentiator. Carl Zeiss East and West were reunited in 1991 and in and around 1993-1994 the logo you’ll see today – blue with white lettering and a lens curve at the bottomn – were made real.

The first set of lenses that’ll be released with the ZEISS name are the ZEISS Touit lenses. According to ZEISS, some of these lenses were made with the old logo, the rest with the new.

“For production-technical reasons, some Touit lenses were produced and placed on the market with the label “Carl Zeiss.” Perhaps these will one day become coveted collector items. Both versions are original lenses and do not differ from each other in any other respect.” – ZEISS

Time to pick a few up? Certainly a situation in which odd bits and pieces collectors will want to jump on the ebay wagon – or head to their local lens shop. Hop to it!

Carl Zeiss no more: classic nomenclature gets short is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2013, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Google began sending out invitations for its #ifihadglass round of the Google Glass Explorer program, and though it has been a few weeks, some participants are still awaiting their invitations. Google posted a small update on its Google+ page today, saying that the program is coming to a close as the company begins looking at other ways to expand it. In light of some of the questions that have been raised as a result, Google has published some rather extensive Glass FAQ.

The FAQ illuminate on a handful of categories of questions that have been raised over Glass, including general inquiries, specifications, software, and security/privacy. The general questions address what we already know about the device: what it does, whether it covers the eye, and what the Glass explorer edition is. Beyond this, however, is a look at our technology culture and how Glass fits in it.

In particular, Google says that Glass will not make people more dependent on technology as some say, with the company pointing out that device is not augmented reality and that the screen is, by default, inactive. According to the company, feedback from users who have been wearing Glass find that “after several weeks” their overall technology use decreases due to the reported efficiency of how the device provides access to information.

Beyond that is an addressing of privacy and security concerns, with Google stating that it has been “thinking very carefully” about both areas throughout the device’s creation. Information, says the company, is kept safe and secure, and that worries over whether Glass is constantly taking images or recording videos is unfounded, pointing out that the battery life only facilitates 45 minutes of recording.

The FAQ go on to address the privacy concerns of non-users, face recognition, third-party data sharing, and the instances in which it has been banned by some locations. You can read the entire write up for yourself, but the gist of it is that users should not fear the new technology. This comes shortly after Google failed to reassure a Congressional committee that raised concerns on these topics.

SOURCE: Google+

Google publishes Glass FAQ as latest round of invites wrap up is written by Brittany Hillen & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2013, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Facebook brought stickers to its Android and iOS apps this spring, and they’re reaching the web right as summer hits full stride. As in the mobile space, desktop users can now use critters, giant smileys and other over-the-top graphics in their private messages. A store is on hand for those who want to venture beyond Facebook’s free catalog. Web stickers are available today — if 🙂 just won’t cut it for your conversations, you’ll now have a more expressive set of emoticons wherever you go.

Filed under: Internet, Facebook

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Source: Facebook

By Michele Zipp for CafeMom’s blog, The Stir

We hear about people getting turned on by weird things all the time. There are some women who get all hot and bothered when their husband cooks, and others… get excited when they learn their partner is having an affair. Hold the phone. What?!?

Marianne* is a mom of two who has been married to Joseph* for just under 10 years. Things took some sort of turn in her marriage last year when she acted out on a fantasy to have sex with a guy who has been flirting with her for some time now. He’s a bartender — how cliché, she says. She told her husband about the affair and instead of wanting a divorce, he wants her more. It turned him on. Let’s let Marianne tell us more.

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With Independence Day right around the corner, there’s no better time to get to know America’s Founding Fathers. And now, Google Street View is taking you into the home of one. Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello residence — both the exterior and interior — is now open to visitors who can’t make the trek to the Catskills. Considering Jefferson’s own fascination with cartography, we like to think he’d get a kick out of it. Ready to start your tour? Hop on over to the source link below.

Filed under: Internet, Google

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Source: Google