You might say the week is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workweek, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Weekly Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past 7 days — all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.
CES isn’t short of product launches, and if you want to keep up you need the right tools. For 2013, the SlashGear team tried out a new workflow: carrying Samsung’s Galaxy Camera and doing as much of our uploading of photos and video wirelessly. We’d already been impressed by the Galaxy Camera in our review, but taking the Android-powered point-and-shoot out into the field for what’s arguably the toughest assignment on a tech-head’s calendar really put it through its paces. Read on for our full report.
A quick recap, if you’ve not been keeping up. Revealed at IFA 2012 last September, the Galaxy Camera blends a 16-megapixel camera with a 21x optical zoom together with Android as per the Galaxy S III smartphone. We had a mixture of AT&T and the recently-released Verizon versions of the Galaxy Camera, each using 4G LTE networks (there’s WiFi b/g/n, but we rarely took the time to hunt down local wireless networks). Just about all of the regular Android apps run on the camera, including Instagram, but we stuck with Samsung’s default app, that can also record Full HD 1080p video.
Our thinking was that, rather than shooting in our normal style – swapping out memory cards and offloading media to a laptop whenever convenient – we would use the Galaxy Camera’s wireless connectivity to upload photos and videos directly to the cloud. By using Smugmug, which has a dedicated app for Android, we could automatically watermark each shot and keep all of the media together in a place where the whole team (whether physically present at CES or otherwise) could access it.
In practice, that turned out to be largely the way the team worked, at least in more time-critical situations. Tag-teaming on press conference coverage, one person could shoot content and pick the best of the images to upload, all wirelessly, while the other person could pull their preferred images from the Smugmug gallery. With product hands-on, there was no “which memory card were those photos on?” confusion, since the images had already been uploaded.
Functionality is useless if the quality is lacking, though happily that wasn’t our experience with the Galaxy Camera. For best results you’ll usually get the most ideal images from a DSLR, unsurprisingly, but heavy, bulky cameras aren’t especially suited to the booth-hopping of a show like CES. In fact, we were able to coax some decent results from the Samsung – our Pebble smartwatch hands-on photos were all taken with the Galaxy Camera, for instance – while the 21x optical zoom proved invaluable for getting closer to items on-stage during press conferences.
Pebble smartwatch photo samples:
The Galaxy Camera isn’t perfect, mind. We experienced the odd focusing issue, where the Samsung would be reluctant to lock onto close-up subjects. That could usually be addressed by repositioning the frame and trying again – or backing off a little altogether – but it was frustrating when it happened, and interrupted our workflow. The uploading process could also be fiddly; we were using the Smugmug app, through which we could choosing individual photos and videos to be uploaded to a gallery in the cloud, but each required separate selections.
It’s also not ideal to be jumping in and out of the camera app, picking content to be uploaded. Some sort of briefly-shown “Upload This” button shown displayed with the preview frame after each shot is taken would be great, as would easy onboard watermarking. A double-save – one lower-res copy for uploading more quickly, and a higher-res original kept on the memory card for later – would also be useful. It’s worth noting that most of our complaints could be addressed by apps, which the Galaxy Camera’s Android OS would make easy to install – not something you could say about most point-and-shoots.
So what have we learned? Our experiment to integrate the Galaxy Camera into our workflow isn’t over, with a trial-by-fire at CES highlighting some of the Samsung snapper’s shortcomings. We returned to an old-fashioned whip-out-the-memory-card style workflow at a couple of points, for instance, usually when there was a particularly urgent image we specifically needed. It proved difficult to edit the upload priority of content in the task list, forcing us to go manual with our offloads. Samsung’s onboard video editing app proved fiddly to use on the go, and we quickly reverted to more traditional editing once the footage was on our computer.
For its balance of convenience and performance, though, the Galaxy Camera has impressed us again. When time is of the essence – and when we’re incredibly excited to bring you the latest news, as soon as possible – the effectiveness of an online camera is demonstrable. We’ll be tweaking with alternative apps and maybe even cooking up some custom software of our own, just so that we can better embed the Samsung into the SlashGear system, so expect to see more photos and video shot on the Galaxy Camera through 2013!
Thanks to Samsung who loaned us a number of Galaxy Cameras, with no expectations as to whether/how we might use them at CES, or indeed subsequently report on them.
Samsung’s Galaxy Camera: Our Secret Star of CES is written by Chris Davies & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.
Tons of big-name companies make an appearance at CES every year, and while Microsoft backed out of this year’s show, there were still a bevy of companies that filled the void. LG, Sony, Qualcomm, Verizon, Samsung, Intel, and more, all stepped up to the plate to take Microsoft’s place, but one other big-name company that made an appearance at the show was Apple. They didn’t necessarily have a booth, or had any of their execs on the show floor, but their products were everywhere, and I’m not even exaggerating when I say such a thing.
A ton of the new products announced at CES were built for the iPhone or iPad — mostly accessories, mind you, but there were a ton of accessories lining the halls of the Las Vegas Convention Center, and while we covered a crap-ton of new accessories here at CES, there were still a truckload that we never got to. Company after company had new iPhone and iPad cases, like OtterBox, who unveiled new additions to their Armor and Defender series of cases, and Pelican, who introduced the ProGear Vault series. Olloclip showed off a new lens for the iPhone 5, Lifeproof had new cases and mounts, Cygnett had some custom cases for the iPhone 5, Belkin had a nifty speaker case for the iPad, and ONGUARD had fancy origami stands for Apple devices.
That doesn’t even begin to touch the surface, folks. Griffin introduced the StudioConnect iPad dock, as well as the Crayola Light Marker, which was made specifically for…you got it…the iPad. However, companies who didn’t have accessories to announce or sell were still showing off the Apple brand. Many companies demoed their new products with none other than iPhones and iPads, including Parrot with their AR.Drone 2.0, Liquipel with their water-resistant coatings, Harman with their Aha integration with Porsche, Tethercell with their smartphone-controlled batteries, SilverLit with their Mercedes RC cars, Martian with their Passport smartwatch, Belkin with their NetCam HD, and Ford with their in-car Sync technology. And finally, we also saw Corning release new Thunderbolt cables, Ion unveiled Scratch 2 Go for the iPad, and Behringer released a new line of speakers and audio equipment with AirPlay.
*Takes gasp of fresh air*
Other than all the companies showing off new products for Apple devices, and using iOS devices to demo various products, we also noticed the abundance of MacBooks being used in the press rooms at CES. Our team alone consisted of all MacBooks except for one team member, and we had an iMac back at our temporary headquarters that took care of any heavy video work.
Is all this Apple swag a bad thing? Of course it’s not — I think it goes to show just how much of an impact Apple products have had on a lot of people, and will continue to have. And while Apple isn’t directly participating in all of the CES festivities here in Sin City, their logo is plastered everywhere, and they’re not paying a dime for it. Companies want to spend money on things that are worthwhile and that have the biggest audience — the Samsung Galaxy S III was up there, but it was ultimately the iPhones and iPads that stood out in the end.
Apple was alive and well at CES 2013 is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.
With CES 2013 coming to a frigid conclusion here in Las Vegas, we moseyed our way to the Genius booth and went thumbs-on with the Ring Presenter and the Ring Mouse 2. Both use a 2.4GHz wireless USB connection, providing you with a 10-foot radius of Ring Mouse action on either OS X or Windows. The Ring Mouse 2 packs the standard mouse functions, while the Ring Presenter offers left / right / middle buttons, dragging, four-way scrolling and — drum roll, please — a laser pointer. Wearers simply navigate the cursor by perusing their thumb across the Touch Control sensor capable of a 1000dpi sensitivity.
After donning the ring we found it to be quite large, so those with smaller paws might have a harder time using it. From within approximately two feet out we observed great response and ease of use. The duo of diminutive peripherals may prove interesting for a niche that’s tired of the conventional pointer, and if you find yourself in that group, you can purchase either in the near future for $50+.
Gallery: Genius Ring Mouse 2 thumbs-on
Filed under: Peripherals
Source: Ring Presenter, Genius Shop
Here’s the sort of thing Kickstarter is all about: those ideas that are so head-bangingly simple you get genuinely angry you didn’t come up with them yourself. Someone from Mobi-Lens popped by the Engadget stage this week to show off the company’s new crowdfunded creations, lenses for smartphone and tablet cameras that clip onto the side of the device.
The company brought by the macro and fisheye versions, which we got to play around with a bit. After a bit of adjusting on our handset, we were more than happy to take them for a ride, shooting some shots of Tim’s Ken Block interview. We didn’t get the greatest shots in the world for the few minutes we played around with it, but what the company has managed to get over on its site should give you a decent idea of what’s possible. The macro took some interesting shots as well, but you’ve really got to get in extremely close to get it to work as intended.
The lenses aren’t cheap, at $40 bucks a pop, or $65 for two, but they’re definitely cool additions for those looking to mix up their own smartphone photography a touch.
Source: Mobi-Lens
It wouldn’t have been a proper Engadget CES stage without a few surprises. During his appearance, the company’s CEO, Henri Seydoux, showed off one of its lesser-known drones, the eBee, a GPS-packing foam beast created in collaboration with Sensefly. The eBee can carry a camera (a Canon Powershot, in this case). Shake it to start the motor and then toss it off like a paper airplane. It’s capable of shooting video and doing 3D mapping, and the removable wings mean you can stick it into a carrying case, as seen in the images below.
Gallery: Parrot’s eBee drone eyes-on
Filed under: GPS, Transportation
What we love about CES is that we get to see so many familiar faces in one week, and Just Mobile was one of them this year. Since our visit to its Taiwan office a few months ago, the award-winning accessory maker had been preparing several new products for CES: (from left to right in the above picture) AluCup, black HeadStand, AluFrame, AluPocket and Gum Max Duo. Starting in chronological order we have the black edition of the minimalistic aluminum HeadStand headphone stand, which will join its silver-colored sibling for the same $49.95 price tag at the end of this month. As before, the HeadStand’s base comes in two layers for cable management, as well as a spun-metal finish. Check out the rest of the product range after the break.
Filed under: Peripherals
We get pitched plenty at our CES stage, but not everyone is as capable of stopping us in our tracks as Noit founder Lael Alexander, who busted out a dummy version of the Joystick (or Joistick, depending on which part of the company’s catalog you read). It’s a phone / controller, with calling capabilities, Bluetooth, WiFi and NFC jammed into a uniquely holdable design. Flip it open to reveal the screen and a QWERTY keyboard, a la messaging phones of the past.
There are mouse buttons and a gyroscope built in, so you can also use the Android device as a controller, if you’re so inclined. It’s also got NFC, an HDMI port, Bluetooth, 64GB of storage and “the best sound design,” according to Alexander, who promised his company would have something more concrete to show at CTIA.
Continue reading Noit Joystick makes an appearance at CES, promises more face time at CTIA
Filed under: Mobile
You might say the day is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workday, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Daily Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past 24 hours — all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.
This past week at CES 2013, the SlashGear team was privy to a handful of fantastic or otherwise generally interesting next-generation technology, but for yours truly, there was nothing as significant for its designer as NVIDIA’s Project SHIELD. I want to be clear in saying that there may have been more market-ready, real-world devices and services presented to us that have hard release dates and/or real track records for success in earlier models, but when you take Project SHIELD and speak about how important even just the idea is for the NVIDIA brand and ecosystem, nothing else had as important a set of implications.
When we were introduced to Project SHIELD at NVIDIA’s press conference during CES, the company’s CEO Jen-Hsun Huang prefaced the situation with assurances on the future: “Next-generation gamers play literally on whatever they can, whenever they can. Just like we enjoy movies on multiple screens, just like we listen to music on multiple devices.” Though the delivery couldn’t have been as powerful as the initial reveal of the iPod, a revolutionary device for the music industry (referenced in the conference earlier as such), NVIDIA intended and intends to push Project SHIELD as a revolutionary device for the gaming industry.
We had a chat with Nick Stam, Technical Marketing Director for NVIDIA (as you’ll see above), in which we were told that not only is Project SHIELD a real project, but it’ll be coming to the market in the second quarter of 2013 as an NVIDIA-branded piece of equipment. Though the idea of creating a bridge between large hardware (PC and console) and small hardware (mobile) gaming may be more significant than the actual SHIELD device, the device is being prepared for a real release.
“What you’re seeing here is a Beta version that we’re showing at CES – and there may be some modifications to the physical design elements, some of the software elements, but our plan is to ship this Project SHIELD under an official marketing name in Q2. That’s our plan: in Q2 2013 in retail. So in retail and e-tail, with an NVIDIA name.” – Stam
NVIDIA has appeared in the news essentially the same amount of times for its mobile processor business as it has for its high-powered computing components over the past year. As we see them tie the two together with SHIELD as well as NVIDIA GRID for cloud-based gaming companies and NVIDIA GeForce Experience for high-powered gaming optimization, the circle can be made complete. With the continuation of NVIDIA’s rather successful GeForce GPU lineup and the new Tegra 4 mobile processor (also just revealed this past week) as well, NVIDIA has created a new ecosystem for themselves.
You’ll need GeForce GPU power to stream games from your PC to your Project SHIELD device, and though any number of games will work on the device from the Google Play market for Android, NVIDIA’s Tegra Zone will surely be the place where you’ll find the best of the best, optimized for the Tegra 4 processor you’ve got under the hood, made perfect for the physical controls you’ve got in front of you.
It’s difficult to say how much of an impact this device will have in and of itself as far as sales go – certainly not until we see the price, at least. The confidence with which NVIDIA presents this device as a knot that ties together its two major product lines – PC and mobile – that’s what will have the biggest effect on their future. No other company made such a unique product ecosystem presentation at CES 2013.
Why NVIDIA’s Project SHIELD struck hardest at CES 2013 is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.
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