Posted 11/06/09 at 07:47:14 PM by Ryan Whitwam

Color us a little confused by this one. Sony has been showing off a surface computer of sorts. The system was constructed with Atracsys and utilizes a camera to track the locations of your fingers, meaning you don’t have to physically touch anything. For some reason, it’s being shown off on a table top… that you touch.

Sony/ Atracsys also showed how the camera system can track facial movements and even calculate mood. The point seems to be that you could interact with a computer without actually touching it. This would be invaluable in an operating room, for example, where sterility must be maintained. Sort of like Natal on the Xbox, apparently. Despite what they’re saying the camera tracking is capable of, Sony is making it look like a glorified Microsoft Surface. Check out the story link above to see the demo video.

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Posted 06/09/09 at 04:26:02 PM by Andy Salisbury

While the concept of a scanner being reworked into a camera isn’t entirely new, someone creating one that can take photos at 130-megapixels is.

A yet unnamed Japanese man with some tech know-how was able to create this beastly camera by fusing a 1200 dpi Epson GT-S620 scanner and old Cannon FD 50mm lens together. He says that he chose this scanner because it has a CCD sensor, uses a camera-like lens and has LED lighting.

If you want to see photos taken by the camera, you can check out his Flickr stream here.

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Posted 04/28/09 at 12:55:05 PM by Gordon Mah Ung

We’re big fans of Flip Video’s incredibly easy-to-use pocket-size video cameras, but it’s been difficult to wholeheartedly recommend them given the superior video capabilities of today’s point-and-shoot digicams.

Flip’s new MinoHD changes that. This svelte camera is the same size as the standard-def Mino (4”x2”x.06”) but can record an hour of H.264-encoded 1280x720 720p video. The quality of the video ranges from fair to good, with noticeable video compression occurring on occasion. The MinoHD puts digicams and other SD-resolution microcams to shame; however, it’s not the right choice for enthusiasts who put a premium on image quality. Footage shot with an HDV 1080i or even 720p cam will easily outclass the MinoHD.

Read on for the rest of the review! 

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Posted 04/24/09 at 01:40:04 PM by Paul Lilly

We've known for some time that Nikon planned on releasing the D5000, a new entry-level DSLR, but it was only ten days ago that the company formerly introduced the newest model. Skip ahead and we now have a concrete release date, as Amazon lists the camera as shipping on Monday, April 27th.

Nikon's new DSLR comes with a 12.3-megapixel DX-format CMOS image sensor and articulating 2.7-inch vari-angle LCD display. Photographers can still view photos with the little LCD in its normal position, or it can be swung out to be rotated or tilted, opening the door to all kinds of contorted body positions when shooting images.

The D5000 also comes capable of recording HD movie clips in 720p. Recording video is somewhat new to DSLRs, starting with the D90 Nikon released back in August 2008. Other features include:

• 19 auto-exposure scene modes
• One-button Live View
• Continuous shooting up to 4fps
• ISO sensitive from 200 to 3200
• Built-in image sensor cleaning 
• In-camera Retouch image editing
• Optional GPS geo-tagging

You can pre-order the D5000 with 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G VR kit lens now for $850 through Amazon.com.

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Posted 04/14/09 at 03:30:30 PM by Paul Lilly

Oh my, what wondrous (and perverted and unscrupulous and devious and all kinds of other nasty adjectives) possibilities suddenly open up when your necktie doubles as a video recorder, complete with a remote control! Ready for the best part? This thing actually exists!

Credit goes to Thanko for the spy tie, which conceals a video camera with 4GB of storage space. On a full charge, Thanko says you can expect about four hours of on-time, or about one hour of shooting before having to recharge, which takes about two hours. Videos are recorded as AVI files with a 352 x 288 resolution and can be transferred to your PC via USB. Oh, and Thanko warns not to try and wash the tie, at least not while the camera is inside.

We don't know that this one will ever make it to the U.S. market, but you can pick one up in Japan for  ¥12,800, or about $128USD.

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Posted 09/05/08 at 09:30:51 AM by Michael Brown

Trendnet’s wireless TV-IP422W IP camera boasts some terrific features, including motorized tilt and pan, but is that enough to knock Logitech’s Wi-Life system off our Kick Ass list? Read our full hands-on review--and check out the software's user interface--after the jump.

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Posted 08/13/08 at 09:46:57 AM by Chris Moody

Just last February, we thought we saw the last of the famed Polaroid instant film, and the iconic instant camera. Those things introduced a generation to anonymous photo processing so you could take candid photos of family in embarrassing predicaments or those steamy photos of friends-with-benefits that were to soon become exfriends-with-drawbacks. Perverts everywhere looked back on Polaroid’s instant cameras with a sense of nostalgia.

Those old cameras just couldn’t complete with digital cameras and photo printers. The picture quality was terrible, it printed the picture no matter what (photos of the ground, foot, or fingers where common), and they were bulky. It was like having around a shoebox around your neck.

Still it seems there must be some section of the population that Polaroid thinks misses the ability for their camera to spit out actual photos. Wired reports that Polaroid is teaming up with UK magazine Amateur Photographer and will work out the details of a new Camera that will have a built in PoGo. MPC took a first look at the PoGo last month and was not very impressed. The only confirmed details are the size of the prints, the PoGo prints 2x3 photos where this new camera will print 4x3, the same size as the old analog cameras. No shaking required (not that the old ones really needed it either).

Do you need a camera that can spit out instant photos? Bad idea or good? Sound off below!

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Posted 06/25/08 at 07:14:46 PM by Pulkit Chandna

Some things are so obvious that one completely ignores them and the computer mouse is one of them. However, Gartner analyst Steve Prentice still managed to turn his attention to the generic device – maybe for the lack of a better subject of attention - and came up with an ominously titled paper “Gestural Computing: The End of the Mouse”. He has sounded the death knell for the mouse. But you will need to read further to know why the computer mouse is steadily scrolling towards its grave.

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