Hasta La Gadget!

Remember that camera that takes 1 trillion exposures per second? Well, the illustrious folks at MIT have outdone themselves (again) by developing a camera that accomplishes all that and more, for just $500. Similar to the recently released Xbox One Kinect, this three-dimensional “nano-camera” is based on “Time Flight Technology.” That means an object’s whereabouts are calculated by measuring the time it takes light to reflect off its surface and return to the sensor. But, thanks to some fancy math, the nano-cam can capture translucent and moving objects in 3D, using a new encoding method. In the past, the results of the process (which has been dubbed “nanophotography”) could only be achieved with a $500,000 “femto-camera.” With such a dramatically lower price tag, it could be a solution to one of the many hurdles facing self-driving vehicles: the ability to tell the difference between a puddle and a cat in the pouring rain. And, even though it functions like a Kinect, don’t expect it to be standard issue with an Xbox Two (or One II, or whatever Microsoft decides to call it).

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Source: MITnews

Tearing down a device the size of an iPod nano is definitely not for the faint of heart (or shaky of hand), but none of that deters iFixit, who just tackled Apple’s latest pint-sized player. We called it the best nano so far, but if the tiny iPod with newfound Nike+ functionality calls it quits, can you do something about it yourself, or will it need to be binned or go back to the repair depot? iFixit is torn on the device, saying that it’s easy to take apart and replace the LCD or digitizer glass, but that the battery is glued solidly to the chassis, and other important parts like the Lightning connector are soldered together. That makes the replacement of those components nigh-on impossible, resulting in a repairability score of 5/10 for the device — not that we’d be brave enough to crack it open ourselves.

Filed under: Portable Audio/Video, Apple

iPod nano hits iFixit’s dissection slab, rated so-so on the repairability scale originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 16 Oct 2012 08:55:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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While its high pixel density mobile displays stole much of the attention at CEATEC 2012, Sharp also has tech destined for bigger screens like this “Moth Eye Panel” that Engadget Japanese took a look at during the show. Thanks to nanoscale irregularities on its surface similar to the eye of a moth it claims to give bright colors and high contrast while cutting down glare as seen above (moth eye panel on the left) The technology isn’t in use yet, but Sharp says the film has been produced in 60-, 70- and 80-inch sizes already, so if you thought the company’s extra large and Elite HDTVs couldn’t get any better, next year’s model will probably have at least one way to prove you wrong.

Continue reading Sharp ‘Moth Eye’ LCD Panel demo shows off future HDTVs with less glare

Filed under: Displays, Home Entertainment, HD

Sharp ‘Moth Eye’ LCD Panel demo shows off future HDTVs with less glare originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 07 Oct 2012 02:23:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Each week Ross Rubin contributes Switched On, a column about consumer technology.

If you bet that Apple was going to turn the square, occasionally wrist-strapped iPod nano into a MOTOACTV-like watch that would provide a glanceable window into iPhone apps, you lost. Clearly, Apple could have gone that route. It teased in the last generation with an expanding selection of watch faces and used this generation to add Bluetooth and enable a thinner design via the new Lightning connector. Nevertheless, Apple decided to forgo the embryonic smartwatch market. Indeed, it returned to the larger, longer iPod nano school of yore, but with the single-button design of its iOS mobile devices complementing a multitouch interface.

The watch faces may be gone, but the new iPod nano regains the ability to play video while retaining photo display and Nike+ integration. It has become the equivalent of the lineup’s feature phone, albeit with a better user interface. Examined in context, the new clip-free iPod nano looks more at home as a midrange option between the tiny iPod shuffle and the now larger iPod touch.

Continue reading Switched On: The iPod’s modern family

Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds, Tablets, Wireless

Switched On: The iPod’s modern family originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 23 Sep 2012 17:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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So there is no new iPod shuffle at yesterday’s press event by Apple at the Yerba Buena center in San Francisco, California, but that does not mean that things have not gotten slimmer during the announcements. Not only were we treated to the thinnest iPhone to date as well as the slimmest iPod touch ever, we also have another superlative title introduced for the reinvented iPod nano, which is touted to be the “thinnest iPod ever”, measuring at a mere 5mm, now how about that? Despite its small size, do not think that this is an iPod nano to be trifled with, where it will now come with the largest display ever built into an iPod nano at 2.5” so that your eyes will be able to enjoy more of your music, photos and widescreen videos.

The new iPod nano, as mentioned above, will come with a 2.5-inch Multi-Touch display that makes life a whole lot easier when navigating through your music. There is also a home button that helps you return to your home screen quicker than ever before, conveniently located buttons that makes it easy to control volume and quickly play, pause or change songs without having to take a second look.

Music lovers will also appreciate the fact that the new iPod nano comes with built-in Bluetooth for wireless listening with Bluetooth-enabled headphones, speakers and cars. Not only that, boasting a whopping 30 hours of battery life, the new iPod nano delivers the longest music playback of any iPod nano to date, so that you are able to enjoy your favorite music and FM radio longer than ever before. Other integrated fitness features include a pedometer and support for Nike+, meaning you should be able to see newer iPod nano models throughout gyms in the neighborhood.

The new iPod nano will arrive this October in pink, yellow, blue, green, purple, silver and slate for $149 a pop where it has 16GB of storage space to get you started.

Press Release

[ Apple announces iPod nano copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]