Hasta La Gadget!

Smile, you’re on Vacucam! LG’s Hom-Bot (RoboKing in the US) was zipping around its own special playpen on the stage at the company’s IFA booth today, picking up the occasional speck of dust and using its dual cams to spy on bloggers and Germans, while also diligently avoiding a plastic family dog along its ten-square-foot cube of real estate. The bot’s Smart ThinQ technology enables it to interact with an Android or iPhone app, which you’ll use to watch a live video feed from its built-in cam, send it rolling to a specific point in the house in “Patrol” mode, or adjust settings. You can also log in remotely, assuming your Hom-Bot is powered up and has a WiFi connection. Official US and Euro pricing and availability hasn’t been announced yet, but an LG rep suggested we’ll see it in the €500-700 range (about $710-995 US). Cameras and interactivity are nice and all, but that’s a lot to spend on any vacuum cleaner. Today’s trade show sneak peek is probably the closest we’ll be getting to this pricey little vac, so roll past the break for some super action footage.

Continue reading LG Hom-Bot 2.0 Smart Robot Vacuum Cleaner hands-on (video)

LG Hom-Bot 2.0 Smart Robot Vacuum Cleaner hands-on (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 02 Sep 2011 12:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Samsung MV800. You deserve it

If you take so many self portraits that you actually buy a camera designed for the purpose, then you might want to pay a visit to my psychiatrist, Dr. Narcissus. And if you have any cash left over after paying his frankly outrageous fees, take a look at Samsung’s new MV800.

It’s a camera which folds in half. Or rather, it unfolds, like a book with only two (very thick) pages. This not only lets you see the screen from the front of the camera, for easy self-portrait framing, but it lets you partially unfold the rear panel and prop the camera up at any angle. Of course, the first thing you’ll use this for is to take a snap of yourself and friends (but mainly yourself) from a distance greater than arm’s length, but it could also be used to turn any nearby surface into a tripod in low light. There’s also a second shutter release button on the back of the front panel.

The camera packs a 16.1MP sensor, the screen measurers three inches and is touch-controlled (with just 103,600 dots), the lens begins at 26mm (35mm equivalent) and has a 5x zoom, and ISO runs from 80-3200. Video capture is 720p.

The price for this vanity? $280

MV800 product page [Samsung]

See Also:

• Self-Portrait Add-On for iPhone is All Done With Mirrors
• Monopod Thingie Meant for Self-Portraits
• A New Twist on Self-Portraits
• Artist Admits He Didn't Actually Use GPS, DHL to Create 'Biggest …

Built like a tank, and with a proper viewfinder, the X10 reminds us of film cameras of yesteryear

As expected, Fujifilm has announced its much-leaked X10 compact, the little brother of the much-liked X100. As we saw yesterday, the specs put it into direct competition with the Canon G12, Nikon P7100 and Lumix LX5.

We already knew about the top ISO of 12,800, the 2.8-inch 460,000-dot LCD and 4x zoom, but now we have the rest of the specs. First, the body is made from magnesium alloy and the knobs and dials are all knurled aluminum. The viewfinder is big and bright and — judging by the amount of copy it gets in the press release — as good as those on film cameras. This alone will make the camera a must buy for some folks.

Continuing with the hardware, the lens starts at ƒ2.0 and only rises to ƒ2.8 when zoomed all the way out. The zoom range is 28-112mm (35mm equivalent), and the zoom is manual, controlled by turning a ring around the lens. Strike two to Fujifilm. This is a total winner.

The LCD is small by modern standards, but then you might not be using it much

Strike three is the short, short shutter lag — just ten milliseconds. Nikon’s D3 has a reported lag of 40 milliseconds, so you can see that this is pretty impressive.

The only thing that really lets the camera down is the sensor, a 2/3-inch 12 megapixel chip. This is the same size that you’ll find in the rivals listed above, so it makes sense, but it would be nice to have something slightly larger, if only to give a shallower depth of field.

Then again, I shouldn’t complain. The X10 thrashes the competition in many other ways. Oh, and it shoots 1080p video, too. Fujifilm hasn’t revealed the price yet, but you can bet it won’t be far beyond the $500 charged by Nikon, Canon and Panasonic in this part of the market.

Fujifilm X10 press release [Fujifilm]

See Also:

• Fujifilm X10 Photos and Specs Leaked
• Rumored Fujifilm X50, A Half-Price X100
• Photos: Leica M3 and Fujifilm X100 Side-By-Side
• So Hot: Fujifilm X100 Mixes Optical and Electronic Viewfinder in …

There’s nothing all that exciting about most point-and-shoot cameras. You point, they shoot, end of story. But Samsung has been shaking things up as of late. First, the TL220 and TL225 added a second, 1.5-inch LCD to the front of the camera, making up the company’s 2009 lineup of DualView cams. We’ve never actually seen anyone using them on the street, but Samsung reps insist that they’ve been an absolute hit. Well alright then. This year, CES brought the company’s remote-shooting-enabled SH100, which lets you use a Samsung-branded Android smartphone to frame, zoom, and capture images over WiFi. A rather obnoxious delay doesn’t make this a blockbuster feature, but still, this is pretty imaginative stuff.

Now this week at IFA, the company just introduced yet another completely original (and practical) camera design with its MV800. The camera’s image quality isn’t much to speak of (though we’ve only had a chance to use a pre-production model), but its MultiView flip-up LCD is pretty darn fantastic — in concept, at least. The 16.1 megapixel cam’s entire 3-inch capacitive touchscreen flips from flush with the rear up to a 180-degree angle (and anything in between), making it possible to not only shoot perfectly framed self-portraits, but also to have a direct view of the display when shooting both below, and above eye level. We love to see manufacturers continue to push the envelope when it comes to innovation, but how did the $279 MV800 perform overall? Jump past the break for our impressions.

Continue reading Samsung MV800 MultiView camera hands-on (video)

Samsung MV800 MultiView camera hands-on (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 01 Sep 2011 05:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Retro designs seem to be the latest thing when it comes to high-end point-and-shoot cameras, and Fujifilm is helping to lead the pack with its rather limited (and pricey) X100. The company’s just-announced X10, however, appears to expand upon its well-received cousin with a mighty fast f/2-2.8, 28-112mm manual zoom lens with a proprietary “Electron Beam Coating” that promises excellent image quality, even at the edge of the frame. The camera features a black magnesium alloy housing — we have to admit, it’s a very elegant look. There’s also a 12 megapixel EXR CMOS sensor with sensitivity up to ISO 12,800, 1080p video, an optical viewfinder, 10 fps continuous shooting (7 fps at full res), a pop-up flash, and a full-size hot shoe. Advanced photogs will appreciate the shooting mode, focus mode and exposure compensation dials, along with dedicated buttons to adjust a variety of other settings, including activating RAW capture. Fuji is mum on price, but we’re certain to get an update before this hits stores in early November. Jump past the break for the full feature rundown.

Continue reading Fujifilm announces X10 camera with 12 megapixel CMOS sensor, optical viewfinder, f/2 lens

Fujifilm announces X10 camera with 12 megapixel CMOS sensor, optical viewfinder, f/2 lens originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 01 Sep 2011 01:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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