Fujifilm sues Motorola over broad camera and phone patents, claims RAZRs and Xyboards are at fault

Motorola RAZR MAXX review

Motorola won’t have had much of a break following the dismissal of a key Apple lawsuit, after all. In a low-profile move, Fujifilm has sued Motorola for allegedly violating four particularly broad patents on camera and phone technologies — we’re talking basics such as transmitting data outside of a cellular network. The camera designer has supposedly been pushing for a licensing deal since April of last year without much success, and it’s asserting that “at least” a wide swath of Motorola devices released both before and after that time are the key offenders, including the RAZR MAXX and Xyboard lines. The complaint is scarcely into the docket and makes it difficult to gauge just what kind of chance Fujifilm has to win in court; we just know that Motorola’s (and now Google’s) patent lawsuit headache is developing into more of a migraine.

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Fujifilm sues Motorola over broad camera and phone patents, claims RAZRs and Xyboards are at fault originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 15 Jul 2012 12:57:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Samsung EX2F Smart Camera

So we have smart cars as well as smart phones (and in some instances, smart windows as well on select buildings!), but how about a smart camera? Seriously, cameras could not come any more smarter than they already are at this point in time, don’t you think so? After all, how difficult is it to point and shoot at a particular subject, and with the kind of lenses and modern day performance, you know for sure whatever your DSLR or Micro Four Thirds shooter picks up, it is going to be the bomb.

Well, Samsung intends to improve on the digital camera front with their latest smart camera known as the Samsung EX2F, where their latest model is said to be the world’s brightest compact camera lens with F1.4 aperture, and will also be part of its growing collection of Wi-Fi-enabled Smart Cameras. It will continue where the Samsung EX1 with F1.8 lens left off, where this new model was specially engineered to deliver super-bright photography.

What stands out in particular would be its F1.4 lens that clearly makes this the brightest in any compact camera. Not only that, you can also store and share images remotely using Wi-Fi connectivity. Those who are more serious and are thinking about taking the next step can always check out the Full Manual Controls which is featured in a strong but lightweight body. DLSR owners who want something more portable to shoot images at impromptu moments would definitely want to consider getting the Samsung EX2F as part of their stable of extra devices.

Other hardware specifications include the ability to capture 1080/30p movies in Full HD quality complete with stereo sound, so that you are able to enjoy playback later on a Full HDTV. The EX2F will also snap 12-megapixel stills while shooting video simultaneously, where this is made possible thanks to the Dual Capture feature, making sure you will no longer lose a single precious moment down the road. There is also a 3.0” Swivel AMOLED display that helps you line out great looking shots, while all your captured photos can be stored on its SDXC/SDHC memory card slot.

Press Release

[ Samsung EX2F Smart Camera copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]


Lexar XQD memory cards announced, will duel with Sony for Nikon D4’s attention

Lexar XQD memory cards announced, will need to duel with Sony for Nikon D4's attention

Nikon’s D4 is currently the only belle at the XQD ball, and until now, Sony was its only memory suitor. However, Lexar’s just arrived with a new line of cards to compete for the D4’s affections. The Fremont-based company says it collaborated with Nikon to build the PCI Express-based memory, and that they’ll hit the market sometime in the third quarter of 2012 — with no mention of specs or prices so far. Unfortunately, that means we don’t know how Lexar’s offerings will stack up against Sony’s H-series or S-series cards already on the market. That said, while you wait for more details about Lexar’s new cards, feel free to check out the lovely data the D4 will be putting on ’em when they arrive.

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Lexar XQD memory cards announced, will duel with Sony for Nikon D4’s attention originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 15 Jul 2012 02:04:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Veho Muvi HD ‘NPNG’ Edition action camera impressions (video)

Veho releases Muvi HD 'NPNG' Edition action camera, we go handson

Action cameras. We love ’em. Much like buying new sports gear, owning one makes you feel one step closer to the adventurer you know your true self to be. While we’re familiar with more than one contender for the “gnarly throne“, who said there wasn’t room in the rankings for one more? Veho‘s been making pocket-friendly cameras for some time, even of the action variety, but this latest edition — in conjunction with No Proof No Glory (an extreme sports video hub) — sees it making the clearest move yet towards carving its own slice of the high-octane pie.

The latest member of the Muvi HD family will do you full HD at 30fps, along with 720p (at both 30 and 60 fps) plus the usual other resolutions — 960p, WVGA, etc. Of course, it’ll also do stills (if you don’t mind them all being wide-angle) and it’ll even just record audio if you like. So far, so good. What really got us interested, though, was that Veho has squashed two of our most common bug-bears with action cameras by including a viewfinder / screen and a remote control as standard. So, with hope in our hearts and glory to prove, we strapped one on and took it for a ride. Scoot past the break for the impressions.

Continue reading Veho Muvi HD ‘NPNG’ Edition action camera impressions (video)

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Veho Muvi HD ‘NPNG’ Edition action camera impressions (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 13 Jul 2012 14:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Japanese researchers working on a camera that can track fast-moving objects in real-time

Researchers from the University of Tokyo’s Ishikawa Oku Laboratory were able to develop a camera that track fast-moving objects in real time. In the field of sports, high-quality videos are the keys to efficient broadcasting, and it is quite a challenge to track objects, such as a ball, continuously at high speeds.

In a bid to solve this, the researchers developed what they call as “1ms Auto Pan-Tilt” technology. The technology can reportedly automatically control the camera’s Pan-Tilt angles to keep an object always at the center of field, similar to how the autofocus functionality can maintain an object in focus.

This allows high-speed objects, such as the bouncing ping-pong ball that you can see above, to be tracked due to its high-speed optical gaze controller Saccade Mirror and a 1000-fps high-speed vision. The Saccade Mirror will control the gaze direction of the camera by using rotating two-axis small galvanometer mirrors. The researchers said that its prototype is able to produce full HD image quality to provide the best broadcasting service.

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: World’s fastest camera used to detect cancer cells in real time, Sony flashes new high-definition wearable video camera,

Researchers use off-the-shelf parts to let you write emails with your eyes (video)

Researchers use offtheshelf parts to let you write emails with your eye movements, play Pong

There’s a lot of research to help the spinal cord or stroke-injured become more self-sufficient, but it often takes some exotic paraphernalia. To buck that trend, scientists from Imperial College London showed that subjects could perform relatively hard tasks like writing messages and playing Pong using eye movement — with a mere $35-worth of parts. They even showed how well the system worked, with subjects scoring within 20 percent of an able-bodied person after a scant 10 minutes of practice. The tracker works with two video console cameras and a pair of eyeglasses that, after calibration, can precisely track the pupils — allowing them to control a cursor or move a paddle. The researchers also figured out how to “click” the eye-mouse by winking, and can even use more precise adjustments to calculate gaze depth — meaning subjects will be able to perform more complex tasks in the future, like guide a motorized wheelchair. While by no means the first eye-tracking system we’ve seen, it’s by far the most economical. Check the video after the break to see how it works.

Continue reading Researchers use off-the-shelf parts to let you write emails with your eyes (video)

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Researchers use off-the-shelf parts to let you write emails with your eyes (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 13 Jul 2012 08:52:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Facebook Android app update requires Froyo, tweaks messaging and picture taking

Facebook for Android update requires Froyo, tweaks messaging and picture taking

Just an FYI, the folks over at Facebook have shoved another update to their app for Android out the door today. While version 1.9.7 won’t add any new apps to your launcher, it does require some new permissions (phone status), require Android 2.2 and up, and offers some changes for the messaging and integrated camera experience. The camera app supports front-mounted shooter, while messaging improves switching between conversations, including friends of friends, sharing bigger photos and seeing who is available. There’s also various bug fixes, faster app login and navigation plus an unspecified security improvement, so even if your social media experience doesn’t include duckfaced self-pics and staying up on the latest gossip, it may be worth grabbing sooner rather than later.

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Facebook Android app update requires Froyo, tweaks messaging and picture taking originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 12 Jul 2012 20:58:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Samsung Smart Camera NX1000 Pink Joins Hands with Bobbi Brown for Marketing Event

Marking the release of pink colored NX1000, Samsung Electronics treats the purchasing customers of its latest NX1000 Pink with a Bobbi Brown pink lip gloss, a premium camera bag, a guide handbook, and a bean pole camera wrist strap from the 11th to the 31st of July. Samsung smart camera NX1000 now comes in pink targeting young ladies in their 20’s and 30’s for the imminent summer vacation season in the joint marketing event with Bobbi Brown.

36.7 million FPS camera revolutionized cancer screening, next comes combat sports

367 Million FPS camera revolutionized cancer screening, hopefully combat sportsSTEAM serial timeencoded amplified microscopy

We’re quite familiar with the fun you can have when you’ve got a high speed camera in your possession. But, even Phantom’s pricey and impressive 2,800 FPS cameras have nothing on the latest project out of UCLA. Engineers at the school have rigged up a microscope cam that uses serial time-encoded amplified microscopy (STEAM) to capture clips of individual cells at 36.7 million FPS. Let that sink in for a moment — that’s a “shutter” speed of 27 picoseconds. The school actually pioneered the method years ago, which uses ultra-fast laser pulses to generate images of cells as they speed by. The camera is capable of processing 100,000 cells a second, allowing doctors to spot cancerous anomalies that might have otherwise gone undetected. Now we just hope they can supersize the tech and sell it to HBOboxing KOs can never be played back slow enough.

Continue reading 36.7 million FPS camera revolutionized cancer screening, next comes combat sports

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36.7 million FPS camera revolutionized cancer screening, next comes combat sports originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 11 Jul 2012 06:27:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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World’s Fastest Camera Catches Cancer at 36.7 Million FPS [Science]

There are plenty of insanely fast ways to acquire images, but in a lab in UCLA, engineers have created the world’s fastest 2D camera. It’s so fast, it can image 36.7 million fully-2D frames every second—and it could revolutionize the way screen for cancer. More »