Google has earned a patent for screen unlock that uses eye-tracking information, meaning when you finally get your hands on a pair of its augmented reality specs, you could access them with an eye roll. Just don’t let your mom see you do that because she will be PISSED. More »
Many photographers will tell you that their least favorite shooting situation involves a portrait with the sun to the subject’s back: there’s a good chance the shot ends up an unintentional silhouette study unless the shooter meters just perfectly from that grinning face. Apple has just been granted a patent for the metering technique that takes all the guesswork out of those human-focused shots on an iOS 5 device like the iPhone 4S or new iPad. As it’s designed, the invention finds faces in the scene and adjusts the camera exposure to keep them all well-lit, even if they’re fidgety enough to move at the last second. Group shots are just as much of a breeze, with the software using head proximity and other factors to pick either a main face as the metering target (such as a person standing in front of a crowd) or an average if there’s enough people posing for a close-up. You can explore the full details at the source. Camera-toting rivals, however, will have to explore alternative ideas.
Filed under: Cellphones, Digital Cameras
Apple patents iOS 5’s exposure metering based on face detection, keeps friends in full view originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 31 Jul 2012 19:34:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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It’s taken just over a month for Nokia to get everything in place, but its now announced that around 50 “world-class imaging specialists” have joined Espoo’s already substantial mobile imaging department, alongside a stack of Scalado’s technologies and intellectual property. The imaging specialist’s co-founder, Sami Niemi, who will now head up the Capture and Relive section of Smart Devices at Nokia, said: “The technologies and competences we’ve developed should help move from taking photos to capturing memories and emotions.” (We’re sure those hulking PureView sensors will help too.) Take a look at Nokia’s brief statement on its future in mobile imaging after the break.
Continue reading Nokia completes acquisiton of Scalado’s imaging tech and developers
Filed under: Cellphones, Software
Nokia completes acquisiton of Scalado’s imaging tech and developers originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 24 Jul 2012 03:33:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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And so, the Facebook v. Yahoo! courtroom tussle has come to an end. The two Silicon Valley giants have agreed to a legal truce and cross-licensed a bit of each other’s IP, meaning that’s one less legal donnybrook we have to worry about upsetting consumer sensibilities. Not only have the two settled their differences over their respective advertising and social networking patents, but they’ve also agreed to an ad sales partnership, too. Now, if only all those other, myriad tech litigants could amicably settle their differences with such alacrity. Perhaps they should all take a gander at the PR after the break to see how it’s done.
Continue reading Facebook and Yahoo! friends again, agree to patent cross-license
Facebook and Yahoo! friends again, agree to patent cross-license originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 06 Jul 2012 16:20:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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While our bodies approach beach-readiness for the summer, Sony‘s unveiled plans to tinker with your gym playlist in the future. According to a patent granted today, the electronics manufacturer aims to closely tie the tempo of your music to your own physical exertions. It’ll do this by using a nefarious-sounding (but ultimately vague) “exercise information analyzing circuit” that will pick up on tempo differences between the user and their favorite Pendulum tracks. It will then change the “music data” for something a little more fitting for your 10-minute trudge at 10 percent incline. The patent’s sketches include the idea of personalized profiles for users, and displaying what you got done at the end of the session, broken down by tempo and duration. The technology could end up in PMPs or phones, although we reckon the latter has more legs. Give your legalese its own workout and peruse the laborious wording of another patent filing at the source below.
Continue reading Sony patents exercise music system that adjusts music to your work-out tempo
Sony patents exercise music system that adjusts music to your work-out tempo originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 04 Jul 2012 22:35:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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