Hasta La Gadget!

It’s not a completely new idea, accelerometers have been enhancing GPS devices for a while now with additional velocity and directional information when the GPS signal is weak, but now Casio is giving it a shot in its new Exilim EX-H10 prototype camera. The “hybrid GPS” shooter does the regular geotagging thing with its onboard GPS, but when signal is weak (like when indoors, for instance), the camera augments the location data with guesstimates gleaned from its onboard accelerometers. The camera also has pretty detailed maps, so you could almost use the device for navigation, though the “pushpin” view is a good start. Hit up the source link for some more shots.

Casio EX-10HG ‘hybrid GPS’ prototype taps into accelerometers for pinpoint accuracy originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 12 Jan 2010 10:37:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Accelerometers have been inside cameras for a long time now. They’re the little gizmos that tell the camera which way up it was when you took a shot and allow auto-rotation of images. They also help keep the images stabilized, and in some cases they even help with exposure, so that the camera knows which way is up and can guess that the big blue strip at the top is probably the sky.

Casio is squeezing a little more from the accelerometer a new prototype, a modified Exilim EX-H10, with something called “hybrid GPS”. The camera has a GPS unit inside, which will geo-tag your images as you shoot. The clever twist is that when the camera can’t see the GPS satellites (ie. nearly always), the camera actually uses the accelerometers to track your movements in space and location-stamp the images based on this guesstimate.

It also appears that you might even navigate with the camera, as it has built-in maps that can be displayed on screen. These can show you where you are, and also plot “push-pins” to mark where your photos have been taken.

GPS is still quite rare in cameras, and the problem of indoor tracking is likely to be a big reason for this. The other problem has been battery drain, and Casio’s system could, theoretically, fix this too by only firing up the GPS radio to check its calculations from time to time.

Like we said, this is a prototype, but Casio has a habit of quickly bringing its innovations to market. I’m looking forward to the next logical step: Just throw in an electronic compass like you get in modern smart-phones and the camera will know which way it is pointing, too. That should let it make automatic panoramas and fly-through virtual reconstructions of your vacation, similar to Microsoft’s wonderful Photosynth.

Casio, but can be used indoor GPS built-in digital camera prototype [Impress via DPReview]

Photos: Impress

Palm users looking to be a little more social may not have to wait much longer, as a new patent filing reveals that the company may be working on a Google Latitude-esque location sharing service for their devices. According to the patent, a user would be notified if another user is in the proximity of another one, and it makes mention of sharing location information to social networking sites. Additionally, it alludes to location based reminders, such as reminding you to pick up milk if you’re at or near a grocery store. If this sounds familiar, that’s because Apple filed a patent for a similar sounding location sharing service very recently. Let’s just hope this doesn’t lead to another legal spat between the two companies, because it could get pretty ugly, pretty fast… again.

Palm files patent for GPS-based location sharing service originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 08 Jan 2010 17:42:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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User experience — the focus of any savvy consumer electronics company (though not all) looking to differentiate itself in a marketplace saturated by imitators. Now an auto company is hoping to capitalize on this fundamental tenant of modern consumerism: Ford. With the introduction of MyFord, the Detroit institution will attempt to refashion the driver’s interface so as to more closely align with the rich graphic displays found on today’s consumer electronics. Derrick Kuzak, Ford group vice president, Global Product Development, says “it’s not just a technology; it’s an experience… that will cause people to fall in love with their vehicles again.” Powered by the second generation of Ford Sync that is itself built upon Microsoft Auto 4.0, MyFord Touch offers improved voice recognition, touch-sensitive buttons, touch screens, and thumb-wheel controls that replace most traditional knobs and switches scattered about the driver’s cockpit. MyFord also boosts connectivity with the help of an SD card slot and WiFi. Information is displayed on a pair of 4.2-inch full-color LCDs flanking an analog speedometer with five-way navigation buttons on each side of the steering wheel crossbar that give the driver control over data on the corresponding left- or right-side display; vehicle data on the left (fuel economy, mechanical status, safety features) and infotainment on the right (audio setting, climate controls, phone communications and navigation menus). An 8-inch touchscreen LCD at the top of the center console stack is the centerpiece of phone, navigation, climate and audio/entertainment functions and features fingertip slider controls for adjusting the audio volume and fan speed — voice commands can also be used in most cases.

In yet another blow to makers of personal GPS navigators, Ford is also making its existing Traffic, Directions & Information application standard on all MyFord and Sync-equipped cars. Enhanced 3D map-based navigation is enabled by upgradeable SD cards (supplied by TeleNav) containing the map database and voice data, 3D map graphics, and enhanced point-of-interest data from Wcities. Naturally, the navigation system takes full advantage of those 3x MyFord LCDs to displays visual cues like street names, directional arrows, and distance makers in addition to spoken turn-by-turn directions.

Expect to see MyFord branded as MyLincoln Touch and MyMercury Touch on respective Lincoln and Mercury branded rigs kicking off with the 2011 Lincoln MKX set for reveal at the North American International Auto Show next week.

MyFord Touch yields three screens and a Ford from Microsoft Auto 4.0 originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 07 Jan 2010 00:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Delorme’s Earthmate PN-60w gets Spot compatibility, can beam your tweets into space originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 06 Jan 2010 07:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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