Tuesday, March 13, 2012

Camera: Pentax K-01 and Optio WG-2


Pentax K-01
Pentax has been teasing us with its trio of cameras for what seems like an eternity. It's been long enough that we've actually had playtime with the new mirrorless flagship, the K-01. That chunky retro body will turn some heads in the street, so any fashionistas can now pick it up. It'll be winging its way to stores at the same time as its extreme-living WG-2 and WG-2 GPS, which are perfect for recording your Bear Grylls routine. The former will set you back $750 for the body, or $900 with a 40mm kit lens, whilst the Optio WG-2 is $350 or $400 if you want one with built-in GPS.

Pentax Announces Availability of Marc Newson-Designed K-01 Digital Camera High-style feature-packed interchangeable lens camera in stores now
Denver, CO (March 12, 2012) – PENTAX RICOH IMAGING AMERICAS CORPORATION announces the availability of the Marc Newson-designed PENTAX K-01 interchangeable lens camera (ILC). The new mirrorless PENTAX K-01 is now shipping to retailers in the U.S. The K-01, first announced last month, continues the tradition from a camera manufacturer that is known for pushing camera size, color, durability, and now, design, to the limit.
Featuring a contemporary yet classic style, the K-01 provides discriminating photographers with a full array of advanced functions and user-friendly features in a camera body with remarkable form and function. Available in black, white and Newson's signature yellow colors, the new K-01 features the designer's autograph logo stamp on the bottom of each camera.
"It's a great honor to have worked with world-renowned designer Marc Newson to bring the PENTAX K-01 to market," said John Carlson, Sr. Manager of Sales and Marketing, PENTAX. "The new K-01 is not only technically superb, it is a design object."
Internationally known for designing a wide range of furniture and household items such as bicycles, cars, aircraft and yachts, various Marc Newson collections have been on display in The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York City as well as many other major museums.
The famed designer's touch also is evident in a new smc PENTAX-DA 40mm F2.8 XS interchangeable lens. As the world's thinnest interchangeable lens,* the new 40mm combines with the PENTAX K-01 camera body to deliver a unique mirrorless ILC system that is perfect for photographers who are as keen on design as they are on performance. Together, the K-01 and 40mm lens system mark the intersection where high technology and high design meet.

Key features of the PENTAX K-01 include:
• Durable machined aluminum frame under a stylish black, white, or yellow exterior.
• PENTAX mirrorless body design is compatible with 25+ million PENTAX K-mount lenses spanning decades.
• Large, newly-developed, 16 megapixel APS-C sized CMOS image sensor with low noise image capture and multiple aspect ratios.
• Bright, high resolution 3-inch LCD with 920,000 dots.
• Full HD 1080p video capture at 30 FPS with h.264 compression (60 FPS at 720p) features outstanding video capture flexibility.
• A new "PRIME M" imaging engine ensures first-rate movie recording performance in a digital interchangeable lens camera.


* The world's thinnest interchangeable lens for lens-interchangeable digital SLR cameras, as of February 1, 2012 (based on PENTAX's research).
• Sensor-shift PENTAX Shake and Dust Reduction system is compatible with every mounted PENTAX lens.
• Fast 6 FPS burst mode is ideal for fast-action photography.
• Flexible ISO range of 100-25600 ensures noise-free imaging in virtually any lighting condition.
• Focus peaking mode provides fast and accurate manual focusing for critical focus applications.
The K-01 is available for $749.95 USD (body only) and $899.95 USD (lens kit including new DA 40mm XS) in Marc Newson-designed packaging and with the Marc Newson-designed camera strap. The smc PENTAX-DA 40mm F2.8 XS unifocal interchangeable standard lens is available for $249.95 USD.

Source: Engadget

Sony Xperia Sola Features and Specifications


Sony outs Xperia sola
Sony Xperia Sola
  • Introducing “floating touch” navigation for magic web browsing without touching the screen
  • Easily open apps and launch actions in an instant with NFC and Xperia SmartTags
  • Reality Display with Mobile Bravia engine and fast capture camera boosted by a powerful dual-core processor
13 March, London, United Kingdom – Sony Mobile Communications today announced Xperia™ sola* as the latest addition to its portfolio of Android powered Xperia smartphones.  Complete with Sony technology, premium entertainment and innovative floating touchTM navigation, the NFC enabled Xperia sola comes equipped with Xperia SmartTags, allowing consumers to change their smartphone’s settings and applications to fit their lifestyle in an instant. Xperia sola will be available to consumers globally in black, white and red in the second quarter.
A floating touch of magic
Making its smartphone debut exclusively on Xperia sola, Sony’s unique floating touch lets consumers navigate the web by hovering their finger above the screen so it acts like a moving curser, without actually having to touch the screen.  Once the desired link is found it can be highlighted and a simple tap will load the page.  Floating touch will evolve with new user functionality and applications through software updates and engagement with developers.
Calum MacDougall, Head of Xperia Marketing for Sony Mobile Communications, commented; “Xperia sola comes with the power of Sony and a sense of magic with floating touch, giving consumers a fun new way to browse the web and latest technology to show off. With Xperia SmartTags out of the box and access to the latest content through Sony Entertainment Network, Xperia sola is perfect for consumers looking for ease of use and the best in entertainment in a smart and innovative smartphone.”
Simplify the everyday with SmartTags
Xperia sola is NFC enabled and comes with two NFC Xperia SmartTags in the box as standard to simplify consumers’ everyday smartphone experiences. By touching an NFC Android smartphone on a SmartTag, a pre-configured profile in the smartphone will launch. The two SmartTags included with Xperia sola can be personalized with up to 10 commands. Out of the box one is ready for the living room to turn on Wi-Fi™ and launch Google™ news and weather apps, and the other one for the bedroom, which turns on the alarm and switches to silent mode. Xperia sola supports NFC pairing, allowing consumers to enjoy great connectivity with other NFC smartphones, applications and services by tapping their smartphones together.
Powerful entertainment anytime, anywhere
Xperia sola boasts razor sharp clarity with Reality Display powered by Mobile BRAVIA® Engine, xLOUD™ and 3D surround sound audio technology delivering crisp and loud sound, and a 1GHz dual-core processor for super fast performance.  Xperia sola also comes with fast capture to take the camera from sleep to snap in a little over a second with a single key press.
Consumers can also access premium entertainment experiences with Sony Entertainment Network**, where they can watch the latest Hollywood blockbusters on Video Unlimited or listen to millions of songs*** through Music Unlimited.
Key features for Xperia sola
  • Floating touch navigation for an easy web browsing experience
  • NFC enabled and Xperia SmartTags in the box to enable quick app loading and easy content sharing
  • 3.7” Reality Display with Mobile BRAVIA Engine gives razor sharp clarity
  • Powered by a 1GHz Dual Core Processor for super fast browsing
  • xLOUD and 3D surround sound audio technology for crisp and loud listening
  • Direct access to Sony Entertainment Network* with pre-installed Video and Music Unlimited** apps
  • Launches on Android platform 2.3, upgrade to Android 4.0 during summer 2012
* Xperia sola will be bought into the Italian market under the name “Sony Xperia™ sole” and in China P.R. under the name “Sony Xperia™ MT27i”
**Sony Entertainment Network services are subject to availability by region, please see www.sonyentertainmentnetwork.com for more details.
*** The number of available songs varies by region.
Xperia sola specifications
All services mentioned in this leaflet may not be available in every market.
Colours
  • Black
  • White
  • Red
Facts
  • Size: 116 x 59 x 9.9 mm
  • Weight: 107 grams
  • 1 GHz STE U8500 dual-core processor
  • Google Android™ 2.3 (Gingerbread), upgradeable to Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich)
Camera
  • 2D and 3D Sweep Panorama™
  • 5 megapixel camera
  • 16x digital zoom
  • Auto focus
  • Face detection
  • Flash/Photo flash
  • Geotagging
  • HD video recording (720p)
  • Red-eye reduction
  • Self-timer
  • Send to web
  • Smile detection
  • Video light
  • Video recording
Music
  • 3D surround sound
  • Album art
  • Bluetooth™ stereo (A2DP)
  • Clear bass
  • Clear stereo
  • Music Player
  • PlayNow™ service
  • SensMe™
  • TrackID™ music recognition
  • xLoud™ Experience
Internet
  • Google play™
  • Bookmarks
  • floating touch™
  • Google™ search
  • Google Voice™ Search
  • Google Maps™ for Mobile with
  • Street view and Latitude™
  • NeoReader™ barcode scanner
  • Pan & zoom
  • Web browser (WebKit™)
Communication
  • 2 speakerphones
  • Call list
  • Conference calls
  • Facebook™ application
  • Facebook inside Xperia™
  • Google Talk™ application
  • Noise suppression
  • Twitter™ (with Timescape™ integration)
  • Xperia™ Timescape™
Messaging
  • Conversations
  • Email
  • Google Mail™
  • Instant messaging
  • Multimedia messaging (MMS)
  • Predictive text input
  • Sound recorder
  • Text messaging (SMS)
Design
  • Auto rotation
  • Gesture input
  • Keyboard (on-screen, QWERTY)
  • Live Wallpaper
  • Picture wallpaper
  • Reality Display with Mobile BRAVIA® Engine
  • Screenshot capturing
  • Touch screen
Entertainment
  • 3D Album
  • Accelerated Adobe Flash Video
  • Media browser
  • Motion gaming
  • Radio (FM radio with RDS)
  • Sony Entertainment Network
  • Video streaming
  • YouTube™
Organiser
  • Airplane mode
  • Alarm clock
  • Calculator
  • Calendar
  • Contacts
  • Document readers
  • Notes
  • Setup guide
  • Stopwatch
  • Tasks
  • Timer
Connectivity
  • 3.5 mm audio jack (CTIA)
  • aGPS
  • Bluetooth™ wireless technology
  • DLNA Certified®
  • Micro USB support
  • Media Go™
  • Media Transfer Protocol support
  • Modem
  • Native USB tethering
  • NFC
  • PC Companion
  • Synchronisation via Microsoft® Exchange ActiveSync®
  • USB High speed 2.0 support
  • USB Host
  • Wi-Fi®
  • Wi-Fi® Hotspot functionality
  • Wisepilot™ turn-by-turn navigation

All services mentioned in this leaflet may not be available in every market.
Display
  • 3.7” Reality Display with Mobile BRAVIA® Engine
  • 854 x 480 pixels
  • 16,000,000 colour TFT
  • Scratch-resistant glass
Memory
  • 8 GB internal storage (up to 5 GB user-accessible memory)
  • microSD™ memory card slot (supporting up to 32GB)
Networks
  • Quad EDGE/GSM/GPRS 850, 900, 1800
  • W-CDMA Band I, II, V and VIII
Battery life
  • Talk time GSM: Up to 6 hrs*
  • Standby time GSM: Up to 470 hrs*
  • Talk time UMTS: Up to 5 hrs*
  • Standby time UMTS: Up to 475 hrs*
  • Music listening time: Up to 40 hrs
  • Video playback time: Up to 6 hrs
  • Battery: 1320 mAh (built-in) typical, 1265 mAh minimum
*Values are according to GSM Association Battery Life Measurement Technique. Battery performance may vary depending on network conditions and configurations, and phone usage.
In the kit
  • Xperia™ sola, embedded battery, 2 SmartTags, stereo headset, charger, micro USB cable for charging, synchronisation and file transfer, and user documentation
Source: Sony

Tuesday, March 6, 2012

Nokia 808 PureView: 41 MP Camera Phone


It can not be overlooked. It's jaw dropping! Nokia has unveiled a new smartphone - the Nokia 808 PureView - at the MWC 2012, which has a 41 megapixel camera sensor with Carl Zeiss optics.
Yes, you read it right. It's 41 megapixel! As you might have speculated, the 41-megapixel sensor does not mean shooting pictures the size of billboards. Instead, it's about creating pictures at normal, manageable sizes.
It lets users shoot photos at different resolutions, say 2 megapixel, 3 megapixel, 5 megapixel, high resolution 8 megapixel or full resolution. The maximum resolution you can shoot at is 38 megapixels in 4:3 aspect ratio and 34 megapixels in 16:9 mode.

The large sensor enables pixel oversampling, which is explained in detail in the white paper (embedded below). But in a nutshell, it means the combination of many pixels into one perfect pixel. In other words, the camera can use oversampling to combine up to seven pixels into one "pure" pixel, thereby eliminating the visual noise.
PureView imaging technology is touted to be the result of many years of research and development and the tangible fruits of this work are excellent image quality, lossless zoom, and superior low light performance, said the company.
The phone comes equipped with a 1/1.2" sensor, which is approximately 2.5 larger than the sensor used in the Nokia N8.
Besides, the camera performance also extends to video. The camera allows for 1080p recording at 30fps, with 4X lossless zoom thanks to the big sensor and powerful image processing which is said to be handling over 1 billion pixels per second, as claimed by the company.
The phone has a Nokia Belle operating system and a 4-inch, ClearBlack AMOLED display underneath Gorilla Glass. Powered by a 1.3GHz processor, it has 16GB of internal user memory, with support for MicroSD cards up to 32GB to contain all the pictures and video you’ll be shooting.

Reportedly, the Nokia 808 PureView will be launched in May 2012.
Source:IBNLive

Samsung Galaxy Beam Versus Nokia 808 PureView


Samsung Galaxy Beam
Nokia 808 PureView

Samsung Galaxy Beam and Nokia 808 PureView are two great products from the Mobile World Congress 2012. The former is famous for its integration of a pico projector and the latter is featured for a massive 41-megapixel rear camera. Well, these two attributes are for the first time on some smartphones. Tech geeks were pretty excited to listen to the announcements of the new products from Samsung and Nokia, two leading mobile makers with the former recently topping the latter to become the top handset maker in world. Here, we compare specs and other features of the Galaxy Beam with the 808 PureView

Form factor

The Galaxy Beam is slimmer and lighter than the 808 PureView. It comes with a 12.5mm body that weighs at 145.3 grams, whereas the PureView has a 13.9mm body with 169 gram weight due to the massive camera sensor. But, when the length and height are concerned, the PureView (123.9 x 60.2) wins over the Beam that has the dimensions of 124 x 64.2 x 12.5mm.

Display screen

Both the Beam and PureView are to come with 4-inch displays. The Beam will have better screen resolution with 480 x 800 Super AMOLED capacitive touchscreen over the PureView, which will sport a 360 x 640 AMOLED capacitive touchscreen.

Processor, RAM and OS

Samsung has implanted a 1GHz Cortex-A9 processor inside its projector handset plus a huge 6GB of RAM. Meanwhile, Nokia has placed a more powerful 1.3GHz ARM 11 processor for its camera phone, certainly the world’s highest camera phone. The device mounts 1GB of ROM and 512 MB of RAM for additional juice. When it comes to the OS, the Beam is to come with Android OS version 2.3 (Gingerbread) and Ice Cream Sandwich will soon be there. The PureView, on the other hand, runs on Nokia’s own MeeGo OS.

Storage

Samsung only avails 8GB of internal memory with the Galaxy Beam, while Nokia has placed 16GB of onboard memory inside its 808 PureView. However, users can expand the memory up to 32GB with external memory sticks thanks to microSD slots.

Camera

This is the area where the 808 PureView overrules not only the Galaxy Beam, but all smartphones on earth till to date. The PureView breaks all records with a 41-mepaixel (38-megapixel effective, 7152 x 5368 pixels) rear camera, which can shoot video at 1080p. In addition, there is a VGA front camera for video chatting on the device. On the other hand, the Beam is to come with 5-megapixel 2592 x 1944 rear camera capable of shooting video at 720p. 1.3-megapixel secondary camera enables video chatting on the Beam.

Connectivity

Both the Galaxy Beam and 808 PureView share most of common connectivity features. They include HSDPA (14.4 Mbps), HSUPA (5.76 Mbps), 802.11 b/g/n W-Fi, Wi-Fi hotspot, DLNA, Bluetooth 3.0 with A2DP and microUSB 2.0 slots. But, the PureView has an additional support of UPnP technology.

Battery

The Beam packs in a Li-Ion 2000 mAh battery, when the PureView touts a Li-Ion 1400 mAh battery. Since both the devices have their own distinctive power savoring features, respectively a projector and a high res camera, we can’t tell anything about their possible battery performance until the devices are available in stores.

Special feature

Samsung has implemented an advanced pico projector on the top end (above the screen) of the Beam. This projector is capable to produce 15 lumen of brightness on any surface, whether it is your hand, wall, tabletop or ceiling. This feature will immensely help users show the contents in their phones to their friends and family in a nice way. Nokia, in the meantime, has embellished its phone with an unforeseen 41-megapixel sensor and resolution. The company has combined high-res sensors, Carl Zeiss optics and 4X lossless zoom to design this high performance rear camera.

Verdict

In fact, Galaxy Beam and 808 PureView don’t raise any challenge each other. They are only two high-end phones with different specialties; a projector and high-res camera. Customers will certainly be choosing any of these devices with an eye on their unique features, however.
Source: nvonews.com

Friday, November 18, 2011

Sony Launches Cybershot DSC-TX55 World


Sony Cyber shot DSC TX55 Ultra Thin Digital Camera black Sony Cyber Shot DSC TX55 Digital Camera Takes HD Video and 3D Photos
Sony Cyber shot DSC TX55 Ultra Thin Digital Camera purple Sony Cyber Shot DSC TX55 Digital Camera Takes HD Video and 3D Photos
Sony India further strengthened its leading Cyber-shot camera line-up with the launch of DSC-TX55, which is a just 12.2 mm thick (measurement excludes lens cover), making it even slimmer than a standard AA-size battery. This latest Cyber-shot model is the World thinnest camera in its class and offers incredible combination of features and performance with 16.2 megapixel, Full HD video, 5x Zoom and 3D capability.

DSC-TX55 also boasts of the highly acclaimed Exmor R? CMOS sensor that delivers incredible image detail and ultra-low picture noise in both still images and Full HD video even in low light conditions. The camera?s hi-speed auto focus can lock onto subject in as little as 0.1 seconds, letting users grab the most fleeting photo moments with ease.

The new DSC-TX55 camera makes it simple for users to easily achieve DSLR-like picture quality. Superior Auto mode recognizes a wide range of shooting situations, adjusting exposure and other settings for high-quality images with low noise and high dynamic range. Further, the camera?s back panel is dominated by a super-sized 3.3-inch (8.3cm) Xtra Fine? OLED wide touch-screen, perfect for showing off photos and movie clips with incredible detail.

The 3D Still Image feature captures dramatic 3D photos without the need for a large, bulky stereoscopic lens. With a single shutter press, the camera takes two shots consecutively, using the first image to estimate depth information to create a dramatic three-dimensional still image. Other 3D shooting options include 3D Sweep Panorama mode and Sweep Multi Angle.