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Day: Monday, February 8th, 2010

DIY photog creates laser trigger for remote DSLR snapping

There’s just no two ways about it: the integrated self-timer is easily one of the most amazing technologies to ever be invented. Yeah, we said it. Unfortunately, beeping for ten seconds while a shooter races to get in position isn’t always ideal or fun, and that’s where isharq comes in. His Arduino-based mod is amongst the most flexible out there for DSLRs, enabling it to morph from a basic laser trigger hack to something that senses heat, movement or sound (just to name a few) and then makes your camera react accordingly. As it stands, his setup triggers his DSLR to snap a shot whenever a laser beam is broken, and if you’re eager to see more, be sure to peek the in-action video just past the break. Oh, and the source link holds all the secrets to recreating something like this in your own laboratory.

[Thanks, Simon]

Continue reading DIY photog creates laser trigger for remote DSLR snapping

DIY photog creates laser trigger for remote DSLR snapping originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 08 Feb 2010 16:39:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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by Darren Murph on February 8, 2010
filed in Laptops
tagged , , , , , , , , , ,

zoomMediaPlus’ zoomIt is the iPhone’s long overdue SD card reader

Sorry if we’re the sort of folks to look a gift SD card reader in the mouth, but while we’re oh-so-happy that Apple finally opened up application-enabled hardware development in iPhone OS 3.0, we really wish an accessory like this had been available for the iPhone right from the start. The new zoomIt SD card reader from zoomMediaPlus adds a bit of external, swappable memory to the iPhone and iPod touch at long last, giving you the ability to store your iPhone’s pictures on the card, or pull stuff off it onto your handset using the free zoomIt app. Interestingly, this is coming to light just a couple weeks after we saw Apple’s own similar solution for getting cameras into the iPad mix — the SD and USB-adapting iPad Camera Connection Kit, which will be a mere $30. There’s no word if Apple’s adapter will work with the iPhone (we doubt it) or if the zoomIt will work with the iPad (perhaps), but the $60 pricetag on the zoomIt is a bit of a turn off. Also, it won’t be shipping until April (though you can pre-order now for a $10 discount), so Apple may very well make up our minds for us by the time March rolls around.

zoomMediaPlus’ zoomIt is the iPhone’s long overdue SD card reader originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 08 Feb 2010 16:14:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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by Paul Miller on February 8, 2010
filed in Laptops
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Native Instruments Kontrol X1 impressions

We don’t typically do a lot of coverage of music gear here at Engadget because, by and large, it’s an entire world unto itself — a universe of specialty products that require unique knowledge (and often, talent) to use, let alone review — and ultimately, we’re only writing for a limited subset of our readership. There are, of course, countless exceptions to the rule; mixing gear in particular has really come into its own, technologically, over the past several years as a whole new generation of would-be DJ superstars come into the fold. A skill once dominated by turntables is… well, still dominated by turntables, but everything surrounding the spinning vinyl is changing: nowadays, you’ve got a PC that can serve as a virtually bottomless pit of tracks, state-of-the-art software for synchronizing and manipulating those tracks, and dedicated external controllers to help you control the software. Once an art form, modern DJing is now half art, half science. It’s exciting, it’s cool, and even if you don’t know the difference between a crossfader and a high-pass filter, it’s a lot of fun to see how this stuff works.

To that end, today we’re taking a quick look at Native Instrument’s Kontrol X1 — the first official, dedicated controller for its Traktor series of apps, one of the world’s most widely-used DJ suites.

Continue reading Native Instruments Kontrol X1 impressions

Native Instruments Kontrol X1 impressions originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 08 Feb 2010 15:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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by Chris Ziegler on February 8, 2010
filed in Laptops
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Analyst: Apple to be ‘nimble’ on iPad pricing, athletic on pommel horse

Apple’s $499 starting iPad price tag is already lower than many people — and a few competitors — expected, but apparently Steve and company have left themselves a little wiggle room: Credit Suisse analyst Bill Shope says that Apple told him it’ll remain “nimble” when it comes to iPad pricing, suggesting that the price could drop if sales don’t meet targets. That’s not a hugely surprising thing to say, considering Apple’s trying to be the first to achieve real success with a ‘tweener device and strong pressure from netbooks, laptops, and smartphones threatens to collapse the space entirely, but a lot of people are taking it to mean some kind of drop is a done deal — particularly since Apple cut the price of the first-gen iPhone by $200 just a few months after it launched and saw already-solid sales triple. We’re honestly not so sure, though: Apple always tells investors that it’s confident in how its products are priced but responsive to market changes, and it’s not like a smaller price cut boosted the Apple TV into hit product territory. We’ll see what happens after the iPad actually goes on sale — we doubt we’ll see any changes for another few months at least.

Analyst: Apple to be ‘nimble’ on iPad pricing, athletic on pommel horse originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 08 Feb 2010 15:21:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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by Nilay Patel on February 8, 2010
filed in Laptops
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Wisair-based wireless display adapters head to Macs

PC users have been able to take advantage of a range of Wisair-based wireless display adapters for quite a while now, and it looks like Mac users will soon be able to use them to cut a few cords as well. The first such device is a Mac-ready version of InFocus’ wireless display adapter, which is designed specifically for use with InFocus’ own DisplayLink-enabled projectors and should be available by the end of March. That looks to just be the beginning, however, as Wisair itself has also announced that no less than four other OEM vendors will be offering some Mac-ready, Wisair-based adapters of their own next month — all of which, coincidentally, will be making their official debut at MacWorld 2010 this week.

Wisair-based wireless display adapters head to Macs originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 08 Feb 2010 14:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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by Donald Melanson on February 8, 2010
filed in Laptops
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Amazon job postings ask for display and wireless experts, hint at Kindle things to come?

So, we already assume Amazon’s thinking touch for the Kindle, what with that recent Touchco acquisition and word of similar behind-the-screen touch tech being on PVI’s roadmap. PVI owns E Ink, and is naturally bullish about its upcoming products, but what about E Ink in the new Kindle? If you’re into reading the tea leaves of job postings, Amazon might be telegraphing its intentions. It’s looking for a “Hardware Display Manager” who, among many other things, is supposed to have “Significant exposure to high volume manufacturing environments; you will know the LCD business and key players in the market.” That might have you thinking the next Kindle will go LCD, but the requirements also mention a “deep knowledge of current display technology and potential future technologies,” and nothing about the role seems exactly prescriptive of an LCD expertise — more of a general focus on displays and product design, whatever tech might come. Pixel Qi or Mirasol, anybody? Amazon’s also looking for all sorts of software expertise, including a “Software Design Engineer” who will be responsible for radio stacks “including but not limited to” 3G and WiFi. Again, these are requirements (among many) for a role, not necessarily implications of a Kindle 3 spec sheet, but there’s one thing clear: Amazon’s gearing up for something.

Amazon job postings ask for display and wireless experts, hint at Kindle things to come? originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 08 Feb 2010 14:39:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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by Paul Miller on February 8, 2010
filed in Laptops
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Linus Torvalds is now a happy Nexus One owner, pinch to zoom put him over the edge

Linux originator Linus Torvalds isn’t really big on these “phone” things, but he’s finally caved to his Nexus One lust. In a recent blog post he explains how the G1 never did it for him, despite his love of the “concept” of having a Linux-based phone. He finds phones in general irritating, and cellphones “an opportunity to be irritated wherever you are,” but the Nexus One’s offer of car-friendly GPS navigation got him thinking he’d have a good excuse to bring it with him places, and the recent announcement of pinch-to-zoom capabilities somehow put him over the edge. He still says the phone part is “kind of secondary,” but we sure he’ll eventually be won over to the dark side and be just as annoying as the rest of us phone talkers at restaurants.

Linus Torvalds is now a happy Nexus One owner, pinch to zoom put him over the edge originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 08 Feb 2010 14:35:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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by Paul Miller on February 8, 2010
filed in Laptops
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Sony W705 Mobile Phone

Price Range:$99 – $549
Description:Using Wi-Fi to connect to broadband hot spots, consumers can use their W705 to go online for the best songs or most popular YouTube video clips or stream tunes wirelessly to the stylish MBS-900 speaker via Bluetooth.

Battery:
- Talk time: 10 hours
- Standby time: 400 hours

Camera:
- Camera resolution: 3-megapixel
- Camera flash: LED
- Digital zoom: 3 x
- Video capture: Yes

Connectivity:
- Networks: GSM 850, GSM 900, GSM 1800, GSM 1900, UMTS 850, UMTS 2100
- Connectivity: Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, 3G, HSDPA
- Data services: GPRS, EDGE, UMTS, HSDPA
- USB connectivity: Yes

Display:
- Main display: Screen resolution 320 x 240 pixels
- Main display: Number of colours 262K

Entertainment:
- Video player: Yes
- Games: Yes
- FM radio: Yes
- Music player: Yes

Functionality:
- Input method: Numerical keypad
- Voice recorder: Yes
- Ringtone options Polyphonic, MP3
- Push-to-talk: No
- Java: Yes
- Supported audio file formats: AAC, AAC+, MP3
- Supported video file formats: MPEG-4
- Supported picture file formats: JPG
- Video calls: Yes
- Web browser: Yes

General:
- Phone type: 3G, Music
- Form factor: Candybar
- Dimensions (W x D x H): 48 x 14.3 x 95 mm
- Weight: 98 g

Memory:
- Internal memory: 120 MB
- Expansion slot: microSD

Messaging:
- Messaging options: SMS, MMS
Manufacturer:Sony
Model:W705
<img src="http://www.getprice.com.au/images/uploadimg/120_Bimgsony-ericsson_w705-mobile-phone.jpg"

by Mobile Cell Phones on February 8, 2010
filed in Mobile Phones

ExoPC shows its touchscreen stuff on video

Twenty four hours after exposing the 8.9-inch tablet’s internals to the world, the guys at ExoPC decided that the Intel Atom-powered slate was ready for its video debut. You can watch the Win 7 Premium tablet in action after the break, but we do have to say that the “low-pressure resistive” touchscreen seems responsive enough for making selections and scrolling through your favorite technology website. And surprisingly, the viewing angles on the screen appear pretty decent. Still no sign of the touch-friendly software layer, but ExoPC assures us that will be shipping with the final units. Enough of the play-by-play from us — hit the break and see it all for yourself.

Continue reading ExoPC shows its touchscreen stuff on video

ExoPC shows its touchscreen stuff on video originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 08 Feb 2010 14:13:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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by Joanna Stern on February 8, 2010
filed in Laptops
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Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX550 reviewed

Panasonic’s recently unleashed Lumix DMC-FX550 has just been pretty extensively reviewed over at Trusted Reviews. Up first, the Lumix DMC-FX550 — a 12.1 megapixel affair with a 5x zoom lens. The reviewer found the touchscreen to be mostly useful and functional in conjunction with the hardware controls. The 1280 x 720 pixel resolution video recording is found to be nice quality, though the cam loses points for its mono audio, which is deemed “not too good,” while the startup time for the camera — about 3 seconds — is also a bit slow. Ultimately, however the DMC-FX550 is not very much of an upgrade over the previous DMC-500 model, though the reviewer gives it points for build quality. Hit the source link for the very exhaustive, full review.

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX550 reviewed originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 08 Feb 2010 13:49:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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by Laura June on February 8, 2010
filed in Digital Cameras, Photography
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