Wednesday, March 7, 2012

Lytro Consumer Light Field Camera Captures Interactive Living Pictures


Lytro unveiled the first Lytro consumer light field camera , introducing a new way to take and experience pictures. Unlike conventional cameras, the Lytro light field camera captures all the rays of light in a scene, providing new capabilities never before possible,such as the ability to focus a picture after it’s taken.
The pocket-sized camera , which offers a powerful 8x optical zoom and f/2 lens in an iconicdesign, creates interactive ―living pictures that can be endlessly refocused. The camera is available in two models and three colors, startingat $399 .
The Lytro is the only consumer camera that lets people instantly capture a scene just as they see it by recording a fundamentally richer set of data than ever before. Lytro cameras feature a light field sensor that collects the color, intensity, and the direction of every light ray flowing into the camera, capturing a scene in four dimensions. To process this additional information, Lytro cameras contain a light field engine that allows camera owners to refocus pictures directly on the camera.
When the Lytro’s living pictures are shared online,the light field engine travels with each picture so anyone can interact with them on nearly any device, including web browsers, mobile phones, and tablets—without having to download specialsoftware.
The Lytro’s sleek design was created with simplicity in mind. With no unnecessary modes or dials, the camera features just two buttons—power and shutter—and has an intuitive glass touchscreen that lets pictures be viewed and refocused directly on the camera. While the Lytro camera houses complex technology, it is fundamentally easy to use, opening new creativeopportunities for anyone interested in sharing their favorite memories with friends and family.
Lytro lets you take pictures like never before. Unlike a conventional camera that captures a single plane of light, the Lytro camera captures the entire light field, which is all the light traveling in every direction in every point in space.
Capture everything – instantly.
Capture living pictures with the press of a single button. By instantly capturing complete light fielddata, the Lytro camera gives you capabilities you’ve never had in a regular camera.
Focus after the fact.
Since you’ll capture the color, intensity, and direction of all the light, you can experience the first major light field capability – focusing after the fact. Focus and re-focus, anywhere in the picture. You can refocus your pictures at anytime.
And focusing after the fact, means no auto-focus motor. No auto-focus motor means no shutter delay. So, capture the moment you meant to capture not the one a shutter-delayed camera captured for you.
Share the love.
Friends and family can explore your living pictures – having fun interacting with them like you did – on nearly any device, like your mobile phone, your web browser or your tablet.
Easily share from the desktop or from Lytro.comto friends and family on Facebook, Twitter, email or your blog.
Features
The Lytro camera is small, light, and stunning. A great conversation piece. Which it should be, because it’s not every day you can take pictures that make history.
Form follows function : The Lytro Light Field Camera boasts an 8X optical zoom lens with a constant f/2 aperture, capturing maximum light across the entire zoom range.
Intelligent design : Extruded anodized aluminum structural skin. Center of gravity shutter button. Intuitive multi-touch screen. And less than eight ounces. What does it all mean? A meticulously designed camera that’s lightweight yet solid, built for stability, and easy to use.
Speed, indeed : Light field technology translates to faster snaps. Without an auto-focus motor, the Lytro’s instant shutter means you don’t lose time focusing. Plus, with instant power on, you can capture the perfect moment – not the moment after.
Elegant omissions : What’s missing? Nothing you’ll miss. No auto-focus, no shutter lag, no unnecessary modes, dials, or settings. And no flash, because Lytro can handle many low light settings. So, no obstacles to the perfect shot.
Play with the light : Living pictures want to be let loose and roam free. When you share them from your Mac*, your friends enjoy the same interactive control as you, on nearly any device, without needing special software.
Price $499 $399 $399
Color Red Hot Graphite Electric Blue
Storage 750 Pictures 350 Pictures 350 Pictures
Model 16GB Light Field Camera 8GB Light Field Camera 8GB Light Field Camera
Storage Type Internal flash drive.
Technology Lytro Light Field Sensor and Lytro Light Field Engine 1.0.
Lens 8x optical zoom; Constant f/2 lens.
Controls Power button: Shutter button; Zoom slider; Touchscreen.
Display 1.46 in | 33 mm back-lit LCD display withglass touchscreen.
Exposure Tap on touchscreen to set exposure.
Battery Long-life Li-Ion internal battery.
File Output Light field picture file (.lfp).
Light Field Resolution 11 Megarays: the number of light rays captured by the light field sensor.
Software Includes a free desktop application for importing, processing and interacting with livingpictures from the camera. It is built for Mac OS and requires Mac OS 10.6.6 or higher. A Windowsapplication is in development.
Picture Output Produces HD-quality interactive, living pictures.
Picture Storage Free storage for living pictures on Lytro.com, subject to the Terms of Use . (Internet access required)
Picture Viewing View and interact with living pictures on the Lytro camera as well as any internet-connected computer, smartphone or tablet supported.
Light Field Engine Version 1.0. This is the software that processes light fields to produce interactive pictures. Keep watching this space!
Shell Ultra-light anodized aluminum structural skin.
Grip Silicone Rubber.
E-waste RoHS certified.
Weight 7.55 oz | 214 g
Dimensions 1.61 in x 1.61 in x 4.41 in | 41 mm x 41 mm x 112 mm
Included Lytro Light Field Camera; Lens cap; Cleaner Cloth; Wrist Strap; 3.28 ft | 1 m Micro-USBcable for data transfer and charging.
Optional Accessories Fast charger; Replacement lens cap. (Separate purchase required)

Samsung Galaxy Pocket – Android 2.3 Phonewith 832MHz Processor Announced


Samsung Electronics introduced GALAXY Pocket , which is powered by 832MHz Processor and runs on Android 2.3(Gingerbread) Operating System. It has 2.8” QVGA (240×320) TN LCD display and 2 Megapixel Fixed Focus Camera .
Samsung Galaxy Pocket will be available in Italy starting from March, and will be gradually rolled out to Europe, CIS, Latin America, Southeast and Southwest Asia, the Middle East, Africa, and China.
GALAXY Pocket – 11.98mm slim, weighing only 97.0g and featuring a 2.8” display – is portable while still ensuring comfortable viewing of content and images. Samsung’s upgraded TouchWiz user interface offers smoother menu navigation through easy-to-access widgets, providing easy shortcuts to frequently-used functions. Improved text input provides speedier, more accurate typing for Web searches or quick messaging with friends. The device offers 3GB user memory for applications, MP3 files, photos and other media, as well as an in-built FM radio which allows usersto tune in to their favorite station. Integrated high-speed Wi-Fi and HSDPA 3.6 connectivity ensure lag-free Web browsing and fast downloading for multimedia content.
Connecting and sharing are quick and easy with GALAXY Pocket’s social networking and communication features. Downloadable through Samsung Apps, Samsung’s ChatON cross-platform communication service connects all phone users into a single community, enabling spontaneous messaging, group chatting and content sharing inmultiple formats, making messaging simpler and more intuitive. Meanwhile, Social Hub allows users to see their Instant Messaging, social network and email communications in a single inbox for added social convenience.
JK Shin, President of IT & Mobile Communications Division at Samsung Electronics said:
“GALAXY Pocket offers a smartphone experience for even more consumers at an affordable price. As Samsung continues to innovate in the mobile world in 2012, our goal remains to provide consumers with a variety of smart devices designed to fulfill their needs.”
Samsung GALAXY Pocket Product Specifications:
Network HSDPA 3.6UMTS 900/2100
EDGE/GPRS 850/900/1800/1900
Processor 832MHz Processor
Display 2.8” QVGA(240×320) TN LCD
OS Android 2.3(Gingerbread)
Camera Main(Rear): 2 Megapixel Fixed Focus Camera
Video Video: MPEG4, H.263, H.264
Playback: WVGA@30fps
Recording: QVGA@15pfs
Audio Codec: MP3, OGG, AAC, AAC+, eAAC+, AMR-NB, AMR-WB, WAV, MID, IMY
3.5mm Ear Jack , Stereo FM Radio with RDS
Value-added Features Samsung TouchWiz UX
Samsung Apps
Samsung Kies
Social Hub
-Integrated Messaging(Email, SNS), Contacts, Calendar Sync
Samsung ChatON mobile communication service
(Downloadable via Samsung Apps)
Google Mobile Services
- Android Market, Gmail, YouTube, Google Maps,
Syncing with Google Calendar, Google Search, Google +
A-GPS
Connectivity Bluetooth® technology v 3.0
USB 2.0
Wi-Fi b/g/n
Sensor Accelerometer, Digital Compass
Memory 3GB User memory
microSD (up to 32GB)
Size 103.7 x 57.5 x 12 mm, 97g
Battery Standard battery, Li-ion 1,200 mAh
* All functionality, features, specifications and other product information provided in this document including, but not limited to, the benefits, design, pricing, components, performance, availability, and capabilities of the product are subject to change without notice or obligation.

Google Play Replaces Android Market – Integrating Apps, Games, Books, Movies andMusic


Google launched Google Play , an integrated destination for apps, books, movies, and music , accessible to users on Android devices and to anyone on the Web. As part of this launch, GooglePlay replaces and extends Android Market — users everywhere can now find their favorite apps and games in Google Play, with other digitalcontent, all in one place.
Google Play is built on the same infrastructure as Android Market, so the transition for users and developers will be seamless. Users can sign into their existing accounts with the same credentials as before and purchase content using the same payment methods. As a developer, there’s no change needed to your published products and you can continue to use the same publishing toolsto put your app in front of hundreds of millions of Android users. If your app was in Android Market yesterday, it’s in Google Play today.
Google rolling out Google Play to devices in a phased OTA update , starting today and continuing over the days to come. With the update, the Android Market app will upgrade to the Play Store app and the Music, Videos, and Books apps will upgrade to Play Music, Play Movies, and Play Books. This update is for devicesrunning Android 2.2 or higher, and users on other devices will continue to have the same access to your apps as before.
Google hopes Google Play will drive more traffic and revenue to the entire ecosystem. Google will be investing in the brand to bring Google Play to as many people as possible, and they will also invest in the latest digital content to keep GooglePlay fresh, relevant, and engaging. Apps and games remain the core of Google Play, so they will continue investing in new ways to connect users with their favorite apps, and developers with new customers.

Key Lime Pie, Google’s Next Android Update After Jelly Bean


Google will name the version of Android that comes after Jelly Bean as “ Key Lime Pie “, reports verge. Your Android phone or tablet willupdate to the taste of the Florida-born dessert by 2013. The Android versions becoming sweeter and sweeter with each release. Even though no confirmation has been given on its release date, it could be a 2013 deliverable version.
Google have not officially announced Jelly Bean yet. In the meantime, start getting used to the “KLP” acronym for Key Lime Pie.
The Android OS names are alphabetical desserts: Cupcake (1.5), Donut (1.6), Eclair (2.0, 2.1), Froyo (2.2), Gingerbread (2.3), Honeycomb (3.0) and Ice Cream Sandwich (4.0). Unless you can think of a better “J” and “K” dessert names, “Jelly Bean” and“Key Lime Pie” respectively will be the better choices.

Apple App Store more than 25 Billion Downloads


Apple announced that more than 25 billion apps have been downloaded from its App Store by the users of the more than 315 million iPhone, iPad and iPod touch devices worldwide. The 25 billionth app downloaded, Where’s My Water? Free, was downloaded by Chunli Fu of Qingdao, China. As the winner of the App Store Countdown to 25 Billion Apps, Chunli Fu will receive a $10,000 iTunes Gift Card .
The revolutionary App Store offers more than 550,000 apps to iPhone, iPad and iPod touch users in 123 countries around the world, with more than 170,000 native iPad apps available. App Store customers can choose from an incredible range of apps in 21 categories, including Newsstand, games, business, news, sports, health & fitness and travel. The App Store has paid out more than four billion dollars to developers.
Eddy Cue, Apple’s senior vice president of Internet Software and Services said:
“We’d like to thank our customers and developers for helping us achieve this historic milestone of 25 billion apps downloaded. When we launched the App Store less than four years ago, we never imagined that mobile apps would become the phenomenon they have, or that developers would create such an incredible selection of apps for iOS users.”

ARCHOS Child Pad, 7″ Android 4.0 Tablet for Children Announced


ARCHOS announced a themed 7” Android tablet for children, called the Child Pad . The 7’’ Child Pad features a compact light weight design, the latest Android version, 4.0 “Ice Cream Sandwich” , a 1GHz processor and 1GB of RAM . The Child Pad will be available at the end of March for $129 SRP. (approximately Rs.6500 in India)
Key Features & Benefits
Kid friendly features of the Child Pad include access to the Kids App Store powered by AppsLib which is filtered down to 14-friendly categories and 10,000 apps including games, entertainment,communication, multimedia, books, comics, sports and more. In addition, ARCHOS has created a kid-friendly user interface with colored icons, home screen folders with direct access to games, entertainment, learning and puzzles and the top 28 kids’ apps pre-loaded including Angry Birds, Pig Rush and Flight Frenzy.
ARCHOS has also designed the Child Pad to comply with both CIPA and COPPA regulations, ensuring a safe tablet environment for kids and peace of mind for parents. The parental controls and safe web browsing is powered by Editions Profil , whose “ Mobile Parental Filter ” is ranked as the most efficient parental control software in worldwide benchmarks.

Mobile Usage Surpasses TV Consumption in India

People spending 27 percent of their time on the mobile web, while they are onlyspending 22 percent of their time watching TV, reveals a survey by InMobi. PC usage trumps themboth, though: they spend 32 percent of their time online.
In its most recent quarterly report on mobile media consumption, InMobi surveyed some 20,000 consumers using both feature phones and smartphones across 18 different markets.
The findings call this “mobile web” usage, so thatmeans if you factor in other kinds of content — for example videos or music on your handset — there’s a chance that the gap between traditionalmedia like TV and new media like mobile and PC could be even bigger.
Survey found that the most-popular categories among mobile web users are social media, entertainment and search. That points to the fact that mobile is seeing very much a dual-track growth in terms of how it is used: it’s for fun, but for practical uses, too.
That speaks to the opportunities that are there not just for media and entertainment companies like MTV but for those who are focused more on information and productivity.
Some 76 percent of respondents said they would probably use their phones to buy services or products in the next year. Of course, that could mean one measly app purchase, but more optimistically it could mean more.
Some 66 percent of respondents said that they were as comfortable with mobile ads as they are TV or online ads. Turned around 36 percent said they felt uncomfortable with mobile ads.
Among those that are happy with mobile ads, InMobi’s numbers seem to point to small numberswhen it comes to the benefits of these ads: only 14 percent said a mobile ad had influenced them to buy something via a mobile device; and only 23 percent said that mobile ads saved them time and money.

BluFi Services Launched at Bangalore City Railway Station

Railtel Corporation of India in collaboration with TeleBrahma to offer BluFi in Bangalore City Railway Station . BluFi is a combination of Bluetooth and Wi-Fi that will provide passengers with a wealth of information and thus enhance passenger comfort.
Bangalore being India’s IT capital, it became the first in the country to offer the facility. While Telebrahma , a mobile advertising solutions provider provides the Bluetooth solution, Railtel offers free Wi-Fi facility.
To get Internet access, passengers should send their mobile numbers through the Wi-Fi registration portal . The passwords would be sentthrough SMS. A passenger could use Internet for 45 minutes ; if he wished to continue, he had to start a fresh session.
Railtel General Manager K. Manohar Raja said:
“RailWire is a pilot retail broadband initiative by Railtel to provide affordable, high-quality internet connectivity to the masses.”