Hasta La Gadget!

Photo Sphere is one of the new features that comes with Android 4.2 Jelly Bean, and since only a small number of handsets have Android 4.2, only a handful of users can experience the Street View-like photos that come with it, and it’s limited to only Google services as far as sharing goes. However, Google just enabled Photo Sphere embeds that allow web developers to insert a Photo Sphere onto any website.

You can check out an example of a Photo Sphere embed here, and Google details the process of adding a Photo Sphere to your website on their developer support page. The embed will allow you to click and drag around the photo to see a 360-degree view of the subject, as well as having the option of viewing the flat version as well.

In the past, Photo Sphere images were only viewable on the device that it was taken on, or on Google+ and Google Maps (if you added it to Google Maps, that is). The website that you want the embed on will have to have JavaScript first, but once that’s done, all you have to do is paste in a few lines of code and you’re good to go.

Photo Sphere is one of the more popular features in Android 4.2 Jelly Bean, and it lets you take panorama photos that you can then view in a sphere-like manner, rather than just looking at it at a flat perspective like most panorama apps feature. Microsoft’s Photosynth app is the closest that comes to Photo Sphere, but even that has its limitations.

Google now supports Photo Sphere embeds on any website is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Android-based Dropbox users got a crack at an even more photo-centric interface back in January; it’s now the iOS crowd’s turn to play. Dropbox 2.2 for their platform makes it easier for them to see their photos, organize them into albums and share them with others. The corporate set will also want the update now that it permits the single sign-ons that make Dropbox for Business tick. Version 2.2 isn’t the most dramatic update we’ve seen, but it should go some distance toward pleasing both shutterbugs and the suits.

Filed under: Cellphones, Internet, Mobile

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Source: App Store

Adobe is planning to release a professional-level photo-editing app for iOS that will be similar to the company’s Lightroom editing software. Adobe plans to add the ability for the app to sync with Lightroom so that users could edit photos on their iOS devices and send them back to their computer for finalization.

Adobe’s group product manager for Lightroom, Tom Hogarty, demonstrated an early prototype of the app on The Grid, which is an online web show hosted by photography guru Scott Kelby. Hogarty goes through some of the features of the app, including adjusting the temperature of a photo, as well as edit RAW files right in the app.

Lightroom iOS demo starts at 18:09:

The app will be constantly synced through the cloud, so while you make edits on your iOS device, the changes will appear on the file on your computer in Lightroom. You can edit certain things like exposure, clarity, shadows, highlights, and white balance, as well as zoom in to 100% for fine detail work on an image.

Of course, the app isn’t a full-fledged version of Lightroom, so you won’t be able to do any of the more advanced stuff, but it still looks like a decent way for photographers to edit their images on the go using something more advanced than iPhoto. Adobe hasn’t named the app yet, but it could be an extension of Lightroom, such as Lightroom Mobile or something along those lines.

[via CNET]

Adobe working on Lightroom app for iOS, can edit RAW images is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Ever wondered how those crazily clad cosplayers promote themselves to each other? Well according to Nikkei’s Trendy just like most professionals in Japan they use business cards, though perhaps not the most traditional kind.

Image via cosplay.exblog 

Business card exchange in Japan (meishi koukan ) is the most important method of professional self-introduction in Japan. Forgetting or running out of cards in more formal settings can lead to embarrassment, as others are unable to judge your status in the group. This is why we always tell clients visiting Japan for business or networking to “bring plenty of cards!”, which in their mind usually translates into 20 when it should be 50+.

Image via uniearth.jp

However, when these cosplayers exchange business cards they are promoting their fantasy persona, a character from an alternative reality who they try to embody through fashion, make up and lifestyle. The cards feature their character name, photo, and contact address rather than company and job title.

Image via A-one

Of course cosplayers wont just have one costume that they don, or character role that they play, which could certainly lead to a lot of printing and perhaps confusion.

Offering to solve this dilemma is a cosplay business card service called Proof, owned by printing company Choei, which allows customers the chance to order multiple sets of business cards for each character at a low cost (100 cards at 2,625 Yen- US$26).

A major feature of these customised cosplay business cards is of course the unique character or costume photo, which when printed resembles the design of a trading card rather than a proper business card.

C-Studio was set up to offer cosplayers a special location in which to take these cosplay glamour shots; featuring several photo studios each with their own themed decor such as Gothic, Luxury Bar, ‘Cute-room’, Sci Fi etc.

Customers can also rent props for free to enhance their fantasy experience and add further mystery to their characters.

As it is often difficult to find the right location to take fantasy themed cosplay photos without attracting attention and being bothered by the public many cosplayers are willing to pay the steep 8,000 yen (US$80) per hour rental fee to use the studio.

The extent to which fans of manga, anime and cosplay indulge in these alternative reality and fantasy lifestyles seems to be continuing to go one step further. With these cosplay business cards, the false persona of these fantasy characters now has a real world presence and allows them to take on bigger personalities and responsibilities.

Almost by definition, Hasselblad is a company steeped in tradition — it’s hard to be ultra-trendy when your camera systems cost as much as a new car. We shouldn’t be surprised, then, that the company is only just getting around to halting production on its last V System camera, the 503CW, 17 years after the first models rolled off the assembly line. Interest has simply dropped off quickly in the past five years, the company says. Support will continue, and accessories will sell while they last, but the emphasis from now on will be squarely on digital-first H System cameras like the H5D. Whether or not you’re mourning the loss, there’s no question that the V System has survived a lot during its lifetime, including the transition to digital shooting and new management. We’d say it’s worth pouring one out for a true veteran of medium format photography.

Update: Just to clear the air, the 503CW has been in production for 17 years — the V System in any form has been active since 1957, since before digital was even a twinkle in Hasselblad’s eye.

Filed under: Cameras

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Source: Hasselblad (1), (2)