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Feb 21

Nikon to pay Microsoft for Android-related patent license

Microsoft believes every Android device maker owes money for (reportedly) using its patents, and it’s been striking a lot of matching royalty deals that mostly focus on phone designers. While there wasn’t necessarily much doubt, we can confirm today that dedicated camera makers aren’t exempt: Nikon just signed a similar deal. Although the terms are once again secret, the agreement will see Nikon pay Microsoft a royalty for “certain” cameras running Android, which likely involves the Coolpix S800c as well as any future shooters. In case you’re wondering, Samsung’s broader patent license deal already covers the Galaxy Camera. This new pact mostly gives Nikon equal treatment — and shows that Microsoft casts a wide net.

Filed under: Cameras, Microsoft, Nikon

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Source: Microsoft

Aug 22

Nikon Coolpix S800c runs on Android 2.3 Gingerbread

Posted in: Today's Chili

Normally, when we talk about an Android-powered system, we would venture into the realm of smartphones and tablets, and very rarely (if ever) into the world of digital cameras. The line is about to be blurred this day, as the Nikon Coolpix S800c was just announced to come with a copy of the Android operating system – Android 2.3 Gingerbread, to be exact. Yes sir, how does this digital camera shape up in the face of a mobile operating system running in the background? Well, we shall have to take a closer look at its machinations and inner workings right after the jump, shall we not?

For starters, with Android running on the Nikon Coolpix S800c, you might actually feel that you are using a smartphone at times – until you realize that you are unable to make any phone calls or receive text messages. Good thing it has Wi-Fi connectivity built in though, as it would not be much of an Android device if there were not Internet connectivity to make it interactive. Setting up the camera for Internet connection using operations which are similar to those used by Android smartphones is possible, not to mention easy. You are also able to post whatever you have snapped and recorded onto social networking sites like Google+, Facebook, and Twitter in a jiffy, but make sure you are within the vicinity of a Wi-Fi network, otherwise it would all amount to nought.

Not only that, the Nikon Coolpix S800c has a new feature known as “Upload to Smart Device”, where this app can be used to transfer high-resolution photos and movies to smart devices which are powered by the Android or iOS operating system, again, over a wireless connection. As for the performance of the Nikon Coolpix S800c, what kind of camera specifications does it pack?

We do know it will come equipped with a 10x optical zoom NIKKOR lens, in addition to a built-in lens-shift vibration reduction (VR) function. There is also a backside illumination CMOS sensor that boasts of an effective pixel count of 16-megapixels so that you can shoot images with little noise at the high sensitivities – perfect for low light conditions or night landscapes.

You are also able to record 1920 x 1080p/30-fps full-HD movies with stereo sound, and the included high-performance GPS module is able to record your current position (latitude and longitude) information, applying them to photos and movies as they are recorded.

Press Release

[ Nikon Coolpix S800c runs on Android 2.3 Gingerbread copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

Aug 22

Nikon Coolpix S800c hands-on: a closer look at the Android camera (video)

Posted in: Today's Chili

It was only hours ago when Nikon officially unveiled the Coolpix S800c, but we’ve already laid our hands on this eccentric device. As you’ve probably already heard, the main selling point here is that said “smart camera” is powered by a slick (and near-vanilla) Android 2.3.3 with Google services, so with the built-in WiFi, you can upload your 16-megapixel images or 1080p videos straight to your various social networks or other cloud services. Or you can, if you’re in the mood, just play Angry Birds on the S800c, but that 1,050mAh battery might not be ideal for prolonged entertainment. Sadly, we weren’t allowed to share any images taken with the demo units (sorry, usual Nikon protocol), but what we can tell you is that both the camera’s speed and quality weren’t bad at all, and likewise with the 3.5-inch 854 x 480 OLED multitouch display — the high pixel density makes the PenTile arrangement more forgivable.

The most interesting thing we discovered was that it seems the camera part of the S800c can run independently from Android while the latter is still booting up. You see, rather than letting the device stay on standby like most other Android devices, Nikon uses a shut-down timer that activates once Android goes on standby. When the camera’s completely switched off, hit the power button and you’ll go straight into camera mode which lets you shoot immediately, then about half a minute later the interface seamlessly goes back to smart mode, which is when you can hit the back or home button to toggle the Android unlock screen (though we’d rather go straight into the home screen). This cunning trick would probably explain why we couldn’t get any internal hardware detail from the few benchmark tools we installed, but we did squeeze out a score of 614 in Vellamo — detailed breakdown in the gallery below. Anyhow, you can see the camera in action in the video after the break.

The Nikon Coolpix S800c will be available next month for $350 in the US and £379 in the UK. As always, stay tuned for our review.

Update: Nikon’s released some sample shots. Take a look.

Gallery: Nikon Coolpix S800c hands-on: a closer look at the Android camera