Hasta La Gadget!

[image from Flickr user pin-add]

Self-checkout lanes are usually a quick way to buy a few things at the grocery store, but what if you want to pick up some fruit or any other item without a barcode? Toshiba is happy to help, using a new automatic checkout system with built-in cameras that can tell exactly what you’re buying. No more flipping through a list of twenty different types of pears; this system can identify different variations in the variety of fruit just by looking at it. When first installed, the system checks the image of the product against a built-in database, asking the user to select which item they’re trying to buy, with the most likely results on top. While going through this with a large number of shoppers, the recommendations get better and better.

This kind of item recognition is no simple task. According to Keiji Yanai, a scientist at the University of Electro-Communications in Tokyo quoted in an article in New Scientist, a system like this is much more difficult than facial recognition. Because the objects are so similar (a Pink Lady apple versus a Golden Delicious, for example), it introduces that much more difficulty in choosing between them.

Toshiba hopes to be saving you the valuable 30 seconds it would have otherwise taken you to page through a menu by bringing the system to market within the next three years.

[via PopSci, New Scientist]

Well, isn’t this just cute? If you’ll recall, Ricoh’s CX4 was found to only be “slightly superior” the CX3 that came before it (and the same with the CX2 / CX3 before that). Fast forward a few months, and it’s the same song and dance all over again… but with different model numbers, of course. The fine folks over at Photography Blog recently put the similarly styled CX5 through its paces, and autofocus aside, it’s essentially the same camera as the CX4. The lone standout feature on the new guy is the Hybrid AF feature, which most certainly improves autofocus times, but critics were quick to point out that the focus time on the CX4 was never really an issue to begin with. In fact, the following line just about sums it up: “The CX5 is virtually indistinguishable from the slightly older CX4 in terms of its design, image quality and feature set, with only the faster AF system to get truly excited about.” Furthermore, the rest of the point-and-shoot world has evolved quite a bit during all of this time, making the CX5 an even less compelling option than the CX4 was during its own launch window. Feel free to hit the source link for the whole shebang, but don’t expect to leave feeling any warmer about that impulse buy you just made.

Ricoh CX5 reviewed: only marginally better than the CX4 originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 04 Feb 2011 19:48:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Unless you’ve been away from the Internet over the last few days, you would’ve no doubt heard about Woz’s special appearance at the Engadget Show on Sunday. Unsurprisingly, a few websites ran with some quotes that they pulled from our interview — specifically, the highlight was Woz “confirming” that the white iPhone 4 was indeed delayed due to camera issues. Well, I don’t think this is the case at all. In fact, I’m sure there are plenty of other good reasons for why Apple’s been delaying the much anticipated flavor of its flagship smartphone, but the camera just isn’t one of them. Head right past the break and all will be explained.

Update: Our man Woz has just responded in the comments:

I said plenty to make it clear that I know nothing of Apple’s reasons for rejecting anything ever. I told how when I got my white iPhone 4 assembled I tested the flash photos and they did indeed have problems. I spoke of testing flash photos versus non-flash ones and comparing flash photos between my white and black iPhones. I don’t recall saying that it was a ‘reason’ Apple rejected the parts although I had read that.

For the last part, we were referring to 0:55 in the interview video after the break, but now that Woz has spoken, it could’ve been a joke at the time that got misinterpreted by some websites. They tend to do that with Woz. Read on!

Continue reading Why the camera isn’t the culprit for the white iPhone 4’s delay (update: Woz responds)

Why the camera isn’t the culprit for the white iPhone 4’s delay (update: Woz responds) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 02 Feb 2011 17:20:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ricoh’s sensor-swapping GXR camera is getting more interchangeable than ever before — this fall, the company plans to introduce a APS-C sized 12.3 megapixel CMOS module that lets you pop out lenses too. Rather than building a new set of macros and zooms, though, the new unit will serve as an adapter for the vast hoard of Leica M glass you’ve been stockpiling for a rainy day, and sport a new focal plane shutter too. No word on price, but considering Leica M adapters for Micro Four Thirds can be had for a reasonable $200 and an APS-C GXR package runs about $700 on the street, you can probably do the math.

Continue reading Ricoh GXR will swap out lenses with Leica M mount, makes Micro Four Thirds mildly jealous

Ricoh GXR will swap out lenses with Leica M mount, makes Micro Four Thirds mildly jealous originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 02 Feb 2011 06:48:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Do you spend your days pining for a viewfinder with some Danish building-block flair for your shiny new Sony NEX-5? Well, your camera woes have been solved — while appealing to your childlike aesthetic sensibilities — by a DIYer who fashioned just such a viewfinder out of some Lego blocks and parts from an old CD-ROM drive. Its complexity doesn’t quite match that of an all-Lego camera, but it’s a slick little solution for those who want to add some pizazz — and functionality — to Sony’s favorite not-quite-Micro Four-Thirds shooter. Hit up the source link to see how to build one for yourself.

Lego viewfinder created for Sony NEX-5, lincoln log enthusiasts feel left out originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 01 Feb 2011 14:28:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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