Earlier iPod touch with camera leak vindicated in light of 3rd gen teardown

That mysterious 6- x 6- x 3-millimeter slot found within the most recent iPod touch teardown? We were pretty sure it was the eventual resting place for a camera sensor, but now we’ve got mounting evidence with the discovery of a missing link. If you recall, there was an August-borne leak of an iPod touch with camera that showed said slot filled with a chip that, in hindsight, looks to match up well with the video camera sensor in the 5G iPod nano (check out step 17). This revelation doesn’t get us any closer to snapping videos with the touchscreen PMP, but we do have a few more questions for Steve to dodge.

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Earlier iPod touch with camera leak vindicated in light of 3rd gen teardown originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 13 Sep 2009 19:18:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Switched On: The iPod touch and the big picture

Ross Rubin (@rossrubin) contributes Switched On, a column about consumer technology.

In a New York Times interview of Steve Jobs conducted by Engadget columnist aspirant David Pogue, Apple’s CEO suggested that the company did not include a camera on the iPod touch because the company was now marketing the iPod touch as a game machine and that a camera was not germane to such a device. “We don’t need to add new stuff,” said Jobs.

But why is adding a digital camera any less germane to the portable game device of the iPod touch than it is to adding it to the media player of the iPod nano? Or, if price is an issue, why not exclude it only on the entry-level model? The iPod touch market will soon be large enough to support such diversity. And if the iPod touch is indeed being marketed as a gaming console and a low-cost point of entry to the app store, excluding a camera disrupts the continuity of the touch/iPhone platform, while the iPod imaging message is now more muddled: If you’re buying the iPhone 3G, you can capture stills but not video, while the “lower-end” iPod nano offers video capture but not stills, the iPod touch offers neither, and only the iPhone 3GS offers both.

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Switched On: The iPod touch and the big picture originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 11 Sep 2009 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Steve Jobs says iPod touch didn’t get a camera because “it’s a great game machine”

Wondering why Apple chose to add a camera to the iPod nano, but not the revised iPod touch? You’re not alone, but one Mr. Steven P. Jobs has an answer for you: it’s because the touch is a game machine, you see. Seriously — that’s what El Steve told the inimitable David Pogue today after the Rock and Roll event. According to Steve, Apple wasn’t “exactly sure how to market the touch” at first, but once they listened to their customers and started to focus on gaming, “it just took off.” That certainly explains the “funnest iPod ever” tagline, but still, why no cam? “We don’t need to add new stuff — we need to get the price down to where everyone can afford it.” And… that’s all he said about it, and Poguey didn’t pursue the blindingly obvious followup: that’s great for the $199 8GB model, but does Apple really think customers paying $299 and $399 for the larger editions would be turned off by paying slightly more for a camera sensor? Something tell us we won’t hear Jobs say one more word about it until he’s ready to actually unveil a touch with a camera — at which point it will be a revolution.

P.S.- Make sure to hit the read link for the full interview — it’s short, but it’s full of Steve saying things like “You notice Amazon never says how [many Kindles] they sell; usually if they sell a lot of something, you want to tell everybody.”

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Steve Jobs says iPod touch didn’t get a camera because “it’s a great game machine” originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 09 Sep 2009 23:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Canon’s PowerShot SX20 IS superzoom gets superreviewed

You might be forgiven for not spotting the SX20 IS in the maelstrom of announcements Canon hit us with last month, so here’s a thorough breakdown of the cam for your delectation. Replacing the year-old SX10, the SX20 IS adds 720p video recording at 30 fps and takes the pixel count up to 12 million. Strangely, it was features from the older model that earned praise, with the reviewers liking the 2.5-inch vari-angle display and UltraSonic Motor, which provided a smooth and silent zooming action. Their major gripe was image noise at ISO 400 and above, though picture quality was considered above average and macro performance was singled out for commendation. Hit the read link for sample snaps and footage plus the enlightening conclusion.

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Canon’s PowerShot SX20 IS superzoom gets superreviewed originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 09 Sep 2009 22:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apple adds video camera, larger screen to new 5G iPod nano

Apple sure took long enough to get to this, but just as rumored, the iPod nano is seeing a hotly-anticipated refresh today. The big addition? A camera that just so happens to shoot live video (but not stills, apparently). On the lower left of the new fifth-generation nano, you’ll find the camera as well as a speaker and microphone, but unfortunately you’ll have to sync it with your computer before you upload clips to YouTube. The camera-laden nanos will be available starting today in a rainbow’s worth of hues (nine, if we’re being precise), with the 8GB model pegged at $149 and the 16GB edition at $179 — though, we should mention that yellow and red are Apple Store exclusives. Oh, and oddly / tragically enough, the iPod nano is officially the only dedicated iPod with a camera, leaving the iPod touch — and every human on the planet — scratching their head in befuddlement. Meanwhile, iPhone 3G users are equally bewildered by the fact that a mid-range iPod can shoot video while a fully-capable smartphone cannot.

As for other specs, you’ll find a built-in FM tuner with Live Pause (!) and iTunes Tagging, a pedometer (you know, for that fancy Nike+ integration), VoiceOver, support for voice memos and a larger 2.2-inch display (up from 2.0-inches) with a 376 x 240 resolution. As for the camera, we’re told that the video capture mode snags footage in VGA quality (640 x 480) H.264, with up to 30fps and AAC audio. If you’re feeling fancy, there’s also 15 real-time special effects including Sepia, Black and White, X-Ray, Film Grain, Thermal, Security Cam, Cyborg, Bulge, Kaleido and Motion Blur (among others). As for dimensions, the 5G nano remains identical to the 4G nano at 3.6- x 1.5- x 0.24-inches, though it somehow shaves a whopping 0.02 ounces as it climbs down from 1.3 to 1.28 ounces. Curious about battery life? Apple claims that the new nano can last up to 24 hours when playing back audio (same as 4G nano), while video playback should zap the rechargeable battery in just five hours (which is up an hour over its predecessor).

Update: Check out our first hands-on live from the event!

Apple adds video camera, larger screen to new 5G iPod nano originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 09 Sep 2009 12:51:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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“3rd-Generation” iPod touch accessories appear on Best Buy’s website

At this point it would be bigger news if Apple didn’t announce new iPods tomorrow, but just in case you had some doubts, Best Buy’s gone ahead and posted up some listings for Belkin’s “3rd-Generation” iPod touch cases a little early. Sadly, there aren’t any pictures to be had, but hey — we’ve already seen a few of these cases in person, you know? They’re putting cameras in iPods, people. What happens next… is up to you.

Update: And hey — looks like there are some 5G iPod nano cases listed as well. Shocking!

[Via Pocket-lint]

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“3rd-Generation” iPod touch accessories appear on Best Buy’s website originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 08 Sep 2009 14:18:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Stanford’s open-source camera could revolutionize photography, you’ll still use ‘Auto’ mode

Here’s the moment where you pretend that a breakthrough in a given industry would just revolutionize the way you do work, yet you know — deep down in your heart — that you’d never take advantage. Okay, so maybe you would, but your friend wouldn’t. At any rate, a gaggle of boffins at Stanford have set out to “reinvent digital photography” with the advent of the open-source digital camera. The idea here is to give programmers the power to conjure up new software to teach old cameras new tricks, with the hope being to eliminate software limits that currently exist. In fact, a prototype shooter has already been developed, with the Frankencamera hinting at a future where owners can download apps to their devices and continuously improve its performance and add to its abilities. The actual science behind the concept is stupendously in-depth, so if you’re thinking of holding off on that new Nikon or Canon in 2034, you might want to give the read link a look for a little more encouragement.

[Via HotHardware]

Continue reading Stanford’s open-source camera could revolutionize photography, you’ll still use ‘Auto’ mode

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Stanford’s open-source camera could revolutionize photography, you’ll still use ‘Auto’ mode originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 06 Sep 2009 13:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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FujiFilm Real 3D camera given a video hands-on by fake 3D journalists

The first thing you notice about FujiFilm’s €499 Real 3D W1 camera is its size. It’s big — big in the way that bloggers see main stream media journalists as big. And the industrial design is straight-up Cold War. Still, it delivers 3D without special glasses and does so with surprisingly realistic detail — it really does work. Yeah, you have to position yourself oh so carefully just in front of FujiFilm’s €349 FinePix 3D Viewer or printed photos courtesy of a FujiFilm web service, but the novelty might be worthwhile for those with money to burn. It begins shipping to Europe and likely beyond in late September. Check the video demonstration from IFA and let Germania wash over you.

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FujiFilm Real 3D camera given a video hands-on by fake 3D journalists originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 05 Sep 2009 15:19:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Olympus E-P1 meets 50-200mm SWD lens monstrosity, hilarity ensues

We’ve already seen plenty of the Olympus E-P1, but when we dropped by Olympus’ booth today at IFA we just couldn’t resist slapping on the biggest lens they had, courtesy of the micro four thirds to standard four thirds adapter, and shooting a bit of dramatic show floor footage. The verdict? It’s totally impractical, especially because there’s no autofocus during video with certain lenses, meaning we’re stuck working the manual focus ring, D90-style. Still, we didn’t expect anything different, and our short film entitled “People Wandering Around, Totally Out of Focus” really made the effort worth while. Oh, and for our money? The white model is about twice as sexy as the gray. Videos are after the break.

Continue reading Olympus E-P1 meets 50-200mm SWD lens monstrosity, hilarity ensues

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Olympus E-P1 meets 50-200mm SWD lens monstrosity, hilarity ensues originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 05 Sep 2009 11:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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How would you change Olympus’ E-P1?

Just look at that little bugger. Ain’t it just so cute? All jesting aside, the adorably retro piece of kit you’re inevitably peering at above rings up at $799 to $899, meaning that it’s priced way too high to be slotted in most consumers’ impulse buy category. Olympus’ E-P1 was launched with high hopes, and it pretty much held the weight of the Micro Four Thirds world on its shoulders. During our time with the unit, we found image quality to be satisfactory overall and the design to be simply stunning, but we certainly didn’t come away feeling it was flawless. For those of you who overlooked the entry-level DSLR in order to try something different, how has that decision treated you? Are you full of remorse? Could you not be happier? Spill all in comments below.

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How would you change Olympus’ E-P1? originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 04 Sep 2009 23:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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