Hasta La Gadget!

This week Samsung has gone on the offensive with their suggestion that Apple’s FaceTime is a patent infringer. Samsung’s own patent for compression of video before transmission is being held … Continue reading

The next generation $1,500 Illum ‘light-field’ camera from Lytro has been given a boost thanks to the introduction of dedicated Mac software, not to mention having Aperture support thrown into the mix as well. It does look as though this summer is starting to shape up to be an extremely interesting one if you have the extra money to spare.

A new, more full-featured standalone camera know as the Illum will target professionals as well as high-end enthusiasts, going one up on the original Lytro. Sure, the Illum still remains as a “light-field” camera that captures information about the angle from which light arrives, where users can then adjust the perspective and focus of a picture even after it has been shot. This time around, it has a more premium feel to it, and the early bird here gets the proverbial worm since those who place a pre-order now will have to fork out just $1,499 instead of $1,599 later this July.

Lytro has referred to its captured photos as “living pictures,” since they were shot in a proprietary format that will require a special kind of software to view and edit. Lytro is said to offer free desktop software for Mac users so that they can view, edit and export Lytro pictures on OS X. Not only that, its dynamic image files can also be transferred to Aperture on OS X, and opened using Adobe’s Lightroom and Photoshop.

Lytro’s Illum Camera Receives Aperture Support , original content from Ubergizmo, Filed in Gadgets, lytro,

When the first Lytro camera was announced, it looked pretty cute, but it was impractical because of its limited options. It was basically just a plaything. Now, however, Lytro wants to change this with the release of a camera designed for professional and prosumer shooters.

The Lytro Illum captures photos as an interactive window, instead of just a static cross-section of reality. It comes with a 40-”megaray” light field sensor, almost four times the resolution of the original Lytro. Below is a sample of some interactive images shot with the camera. Be sure to click around to see how the refocusing feature works:

The new camera has also got a 30-250mm 8x optical zoom lens, a constant f/2.0 aperture, and a high-speed shutter, which is capable of freezing motion under a variety of different circumstances. Sounds intriguing.

After capture, you can adjust aspects of images that are usually fixed, like focus, tilt, perspective shift, and depth of field. The Illum will be launched this July for $1,599(USD), and you can pre-order one now over on the Lytro website at an introductory price of $1,499, with just $250 down.

The guys at VentureBeat spent some time with Lytro CEO Dr. Ren Ng to get a demonstration of the Lytro Illum, and shared this video of the interview:

[via FStoppers]

We have less than a year to go before Back to the Future II’s hoverboard prediction is debunked. But thanks to virtual reality, we might be able to simulate the feeling of riding a hoverboard. Game developer Kieran Lord aka Cratesmith recently showed off an early build of his hoverboard simulator for the Oculus Rift.

Kieran is making the game using the popular Unity game engine. He’s using a Wii Balance Board to control his game.

If you have an Oculus Rift, a Wii Balance Board and a Mac, you’re in luck: Kieran shared an early build of his game through Dropbox. You can find out more about the game on Kieran’s Reddit thread.

[via Mashable via Ubergizmo]

One of what we must assume will be a series of meetings around the world with developers and prospective collaborators has been tapped in London for Sony’s Project Morpheus. Morpheus … Continue reading