Gadget Access

It looks like the first in-the-wild image of a Sprint branded HTC Touch Diamond has surfaced, but in keeping with the unofficial rule regarding these images, this one is just as blurry. Well actually I think it is even worse than the normal, but nonetheless it does fit in with the rumor that it is headed to Sprint, so we can only assume that this was not a Photoshop job.

The image comes courtesy of user ksemt7781 from PPCGeeks and was appropriately snapped with another Sprint handset, the Mogul. The Sprint logo is pretty clear, however so is the reflection of the person who took the picture. The Sprint branded Touch Diamond will retain the same features of the currently available model, but it appears that Sprint has made a few tweaks to the TouchFLO 3D interface, which would also be safe to assume because Sprint has a past history of adding their own “features” into already capable handsets.

Via [IntoMobile]

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Did you ever wonder why there are motorcycles motorized bicycles (motorcycles), but there are not motorized unicycles? Probably because unicycles require delicate balance just to stay up, and the high speed of a motor could really amplify the injures received from a normal unicycle accident.

Well, now there is the UnoCycle, a one-wheeled motorized wonder that uses the same principles of the Segway. I’m guessing it also uses the same balancing principle that the Audi Snook uses.

Believe it or not, the UnoCycle has only one button for its controls. There is no throttle, brakes, or handlebar, just the riders leaning in whatever direction. In fact, it uses the same Segway principle of LeanSteer. The UnoCycle has a top speed of 15 miles per hour, but the designers hope they could get it up to 40 mph.

I’m not exactly itching to try this UnoCycle out for myself. No offense to the designers, but this looks like one of those devices where you would expect a little falling before you get it right.

So if you want that experience of learning how to ride a bike again, this is for you. It doesn’t look like it will hit the general market anytime soon, but the way gas prices are going up, there will be a demand for fast, one-man fuel-efficient vehicles.

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FROM APPLETELL - If you still don’t know what you’re going to do with your old iphone once you upgrade to the iPhone 3G, convert it to a Wi-Fi enabled ipod.
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Good news for those not quite ready to take the plunge to purchase the new Nikon D700, but tiring of some of the problems they may have been experiencing with their D3 or D300; Nikon has made some more adjustments. The latest in the D3 firmware upgrades include some nifty function button customization options, although before you get too excited… no these are not the same ones featured on the D700.  There were also some adjustments to the AF and white balance mode, as well as the playback mode.

A major concern for many users of both the D3 and D300 was one that has come to be known as “Dead Battery Syndrome”, wherein the battery indicator would incorrectly register an empty battery. Nikon fixed this issue as well.

If you’re hoping to get lots of the D700 features in the firmware, it didn’t really happen.  The only one to show up is the addition of a visualization of the virtual horizon function to live view mode. The D3 changes add three more options that can be assigned to the Function, Preview or AE-L/AF-L buttons. The only totally original option is the ability to scroll between shooting menu banks (user-defined presets) with a button press and turn of the control dial. The firmware also separates the image area (FX/DX/5:4) option into two, so that you can choose to either scroll between all three image sizes or just between FX and DX.

While still not entirely perfect (then again, what is?), the updates do alleviate some of the annoying bugs that existed. Good job Nikon.

Read [Nikon]

D3 firmware v2.00 can be downloaded from the following links: [Mac] [PC]

D300 firmware v1.03 can be downloaded from the following links: [Mac] [PC]

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Camera giant Olympus has been recently playing with the idea of a 360-degree camera lens.  The company believes that it could be marketed for surveillance purposes. 

This makes sense, as most cameras are only designed to shoot at one angle, and perpetrators can easily get around the ones that can swivel.  However, a 360-degree horizontal image cannot be avoided. 

The image in the vertical is only 180 degrees, which may not be enough to see anything of interest on the ceiling, but it is enough to get more of a view than normal. 

Another obvious application is video conferencing.  Now a room filled with many people can be easily pictured without an automatic focus. 

Of course, this leads to a question my source didn’t address, the playback function.  How can a two-dimensional screen possibly see what a 360 camera could?  It’s like trying to put a globe on a flat map.  Of course, map companies do that all the time, but the image always gets distorted.  In case you aren’t aware, Greenland is about the size of Mexico, not five times its size. 

I suppose that you could set up several monitors around you in a ring formation, and then watch the footage that way.  It reminds me of an exhibit at EPCOT center with a 360 degree movie theater.  Instead of seats, the audience watches the film standing.  The theater has these bars that they need to grab because watching a film with a 360-degree view can result in a very dizzying effect. 

In short, there is easily a market for a 360-camera, but it would certainly change the market of picture taking and viewing as we know it.  Then again, it has already been turned upside down by the age of digital photography, so what’s another advancement? 

Via [DVICE]

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I don’t know about you, but I have so many business cards. They are in my pocket, my backpack, and somehow they are scattered all over my house. So if I ever do get around to calling that contact, I can’t find the card. I usually end up looking up their information online and call them that way.

Of course, I could always just take the information off the card and put it some kind of database, but that certainly takes a lot of time for some mindless work. Sometimes I wonder why we even have business cards in a digital age.

I could always get the WorldCard Ultra by PenPower. All I would need to do is stick a business card into the business card reader slot, and let the machine do the mindless work of copying it onto a database. If you have a Mac computer, it drops the information directly into the Address book.

This machine has already won a Red Dot Design Award, and I can see why. I could use one of these for my business, and it would certainly de-clutter my office.

The WorldCard Ultra is available for the on the Pen Power site for about $199.95.

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They’ve been rumored for a while, but it appears that they will actually be in existence in a couple of months: laptop bags that can get through airport security while your precious laptop remains snug within. If you carry your machine in one of these bags, you won’t have to remove it in order to pass X-ray inspection, according to the New York Times.

Two major makers, Targus and Pathfinder Luggage, have already announced models that will be available by fall. Half a dozen other manufacturers are said to be scrambling to catch up. Targus is planning 4 models, priced from $39 to $100. Pathfinder’s offerings, a briefcase and a wheeled model, will be more expensive, about $150.

Since the bags don’t yet exist, there are no photos. So it’s not quite clear to me how the design(s) will ensure that laptops can be inspected easily while still in their jammies.

The problem up to now, the Times says, is that cables, mouses, and other impedimenta essential to actually using your machine on the road have gotten in the way of the X-ray pics. How the new bags will solve that problem is not at all obvious from the description, to wit:

“The new cases include either a fold-down section in a bigger briefcase or a stand-alone protective sleeve that contains no extra clutter and can be readily viewed through the scanner.”

Fold-down section in a bigger briefcase? Stand-alone protective sleeve? Hello, we’ve been using those for years.

I await clarification. Meantime, I hope someone will find a way to get rid of the hassle of airport foot gear removal. I mean, besides those humiliating rubber flip-flops.

HP has announced that they will begin deploying more than 7,000 HP Mini-Note PC’s to K-12 students in the Fresno United School District in California.

“The HP Mini-Note is a powerful laptop that is small enough to fit on students’ desks along with their textbooks and papers, allowing them access to the Internet and educational content from around the world without leaving their seats,” said Kurt Madden, chief technology officer, Fresno United School District.

Certainly a nice perk for students in that district, it seems like they will be given regular access to the computer, which should in turn make them a little more computer literate, especially at the younger ages, but also be able to be used as a tool to aid in their education.

No information was given on what OS these Mini-Notes will be running, or just how they are being spec’d out. I would imagine that the school district would have them running Windows, but if you remember the Mini-Note offers an option to have either Linux or Windows installed.

Hopefully we will see some additional announcements coming from HP.

Read [HP] Via [GottaBeMobile]

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The Asus Eee Monitor which we told you about not so long ago is short of getting official with the leaked official photos more than confirming that it might indeed be the poor man’s iMac. From what we can deduced from the photos, the Eee monitor looks to be a hybrid of Apple’s Cinema Displays and an aluminum colored iMac. But unlike those two machines, the Eee Monitor sports 6 USB ports mounted on its side plus a card reader and Denon-made stereo speaker system on its front.

Additionally, the Eee Monitor would also have dual Ethernet jacks and both audio inputs and outputs, a built-in webcam, an integrated TV tuner and it should come in either 19- or 20-inch widescreen LCD models.

Other details that we know of this monitor are its 1.6GHz Intel Atom processor and Linux OS. Estimated retail price of this monitor is predicted to be at around $500. Like we told you before, the Eee monitor will most likely ship sometime in September which is also the estimated release date of another Asus product, the Eee PC 904.

Via [Electronista] Via [Laptop Mag]

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Filed in archive Tutorial by jim on July 02, 2008

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Taking pictures of fireworks displays with film cameras was a tricky assignment and something greatly misunderstood by many amateurs.

One would have thought that fast film and long telephoto lenses would do the trick, when actually the opposite is true, unless the display was a long distance off. Fireworks photos come out best when you're up close and use short focal lengths, no more than 75mm equivalent, in my opinion.

Of course with digital cameras most of the guesswork is taken out of the equation; especially if your camera has a "fireworks" setting or program.

Check out these useful tips for taking great photos of great digital camera photos of fireworks.

Source:www.selmanc.info.com