Panasonic does the 3D gig with Lumix DMC-3D1

Stereoscopic 3D is the way to go where the future is concerned, but it will still take a fair bit of time before it catches up with the masses. After all, not everyone is lining up and rushing to purchase a 3D HDTV, and you don’t see a mad craze for all movies to be shown in 3D glory although you might say that film executives think otherwise. If you have a 3D-capable HDTV sitting at home (preferably part of the Panasonic ecosystem for obvious reasons with this post), then why don’t you take full advantage of it with the newly announced Panasonic Lumix DMC-3D1?
Yes sir, just like all other 3D cameras out there in the market, this particular model will also come with a twin-lens design so that it can shoot not only 3D images but stereoscopic 3D videos as well. Want to shoot regular stills without any eye-popping visuals? Not a problem, the Lumix DMC-3D1 does that equally well.

Just what kind of lenses does the Lumix DMC-3D1 pack? Well, for starters, it comes with 25mm ultra-wide angle lenses alongside 4x optical zoom that will deliver the outstanding capability to shoot high resolution 8-megapixel 3D photos and 1920 x 1080 60i high quality 3D HD video thanks to a side-by-side method. Thanks the kind of optics found in the Lumix DMC-3D1, you will be able to enjoy a wider range of composition possibilities as you have approximately 169% larger viewing space compared to that of 35mm cameras.
We used to have to make a choice – do we shoot photos or videos with a single camera? With the Lumix DMC-3D1, such a dilemma is no longer part of the equation, since it can do 2D photos and videos simultaneously. Shooting 12-megapixel 2D photos and recording 1920 x 1080i full HD 2D videos, you can always capture a particular moment in time for all immortality in two different formats, now how neat do you think that is?
Other hardware specifications include iA (Intelligent Auto) mode, MEGA O.I.S, AF Tracking, Intelligent Scene Selector, Face Recognition and Intelligent ISO Control, Intelligent Exposure and Intelligent Handheld Nightshot. Expect to see the Panasonic Lumix DMC-3D1 this coming December for $499.99.

(Source)

Students push the boundaries of the Microsoft Touch Mouse with SDK competition

The Microsoft Hardware blog yesterday featured the winners of the UIST 2011 Student Innovation Contestwhere university students were challenged to come up with interesting uses for the Microsoft Touch Mouse with the public sensor SDK. Between the 30 groups that participated, the projects ranged from the surprisingly practical to bizarrely intriguing.

As a highlight of some of the projects that I found interesting, TUI.TAR was the first prize winner in the creative category. This application turned the Touch Mouse into a virtual guitar with plucking and strumming capabilities. Even though the music it generates leaves a lot to the imagination, this was a very creative use of a device that otherwise would not have been used horizontally.

One of the most practical projects was “Window Manipulation“. As the straight forward name implies, it enables more advanced window manipulation through the Touch Mouse with gestures than what Microsoft ships out of the box. For example it allows users to move windows with simply three fingers on the sensor.

The most intriguing project has to be Moussage. This allows users to physically message another person on an electronically-controlled bed that translates the touch sensor input into motorized vibrations. Although the project sounds reasonably practical, the idea of being able “message oneself or a distant friend” as the authors describe it sounds a little bit awkward.

Other notable entries worth mentioning include the FlipMouse which simulated a tilt sensor by using the mouse upside down, and Grip to Identify which is a login replacement by sensing how users grip a mouse.

The six prized students teams took away a combined $6000 worth of prize money contributed by theMicrosoft Applied Sciences Group. Video embedded of my favorite projects embedded after the break.

  

HTC Rezound announced

HTC has teamed up with Verizon Wireless yet again for another exclusive in the US market – we’re talking about the HTC Rezound, which is the first smartphone Stateside that will feature Beats Audio integrated into its hardware. This is made possible thanks to the recent understanding that was forged between HTC and Beats, ensuring that the HTC Rezound will not disappoint your ears at all by delivering a powerful entertainment experience without sacrificing on audio and multimedia capabilities, thanks to the 4.3″ true HD 720p display.

The HTC Rezound’s integration with Beats Audio will let you experience music the way the artist intended to, thanks to unique audio tuning by Beats that ensures your ears will be able to pick out the thundering bass, soaring midrange and crisp highs. Not only that, another winning point for the HTC Rezound would include the new lightweight Beats headphones that were specially created to integrate with the Beats’ audio profile on the device. Are you busy with your hands at the moment and cannot attend to an incoming call? Not a problem, hands-free calling is a snap thanks to the integrated microphone.

The HTC Rezound will fall under the premium smartphone category, where it will also ship with the latest HTC Sense experience as well as boast the ability to take full advantage of the 4G LTE network over at Verizon Wireless. If you are interested in picking one up for yourself, it ought to be out in slightly more than a week’s time – November 14th, to be exact. As for the rest of the system specifications, you can always check out what the HTC Rezound carries in the extended post.
Other hardware specifications include Mobile Hotspot capability, Android 2.3 Gingerbread with the Ice Cream Sandwich upgrade coming early next year, 16GB of internal memory, 1GB RAM, a microSD memory card slot, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity, GPS support, HDMI, a variety of sensors, where all of them are powered by a 1.5GHz Qualcomm MSM8660 processor. The asking price? $299.99 with a new two-year customer agreement.                                                                                                                        (Source)