The latest Apple rumor suggests the company is gearing up to release a smaller version of its popular iPad.
A Samsung official has reportedly told the Korea Times that Apple plans to release an iPad mini with 7.85-inch screen. The official claims the smaller version will use Samsung-made displays.
“Despite its ongoing patent battles with Samsung, Apple will reportedly buy $11 billion worth of parts from the South Korean electronics giant this year,” reports Digital Trends. “Part of that $11 billion will go toward the purchase of smaller touch-screen displays.”
“The contract is expected to rise to $11 billion by the end of this year as Apple is planning to release a smaller iPad, probably with a 7.85-inch screen, and to sell more of its MacBook Air PCs using Samsung’s faster solid state drive (SSD) storage,” the official said.
Sony has announced the Alpha a57 DSLR as a replacement for its Alpha a55 intended to compete with the Nikon D5100, Canon EOS Rebel T3i and other mid-range cameras.
“Using a 16.1MP CMOS sensor, the Alpha a57 shoots 10 frames-per-second at the full 16-megapixel resolution and 12 frames-per-second at an 8-megapixel resolution,” reports Digital Trends. “When using manual aperture control, the a57 can shoot 8 frames-per-second at the full resolution.”
“The Alpha a57 also captures full HD 1080p video (AVCHD) at 60fps or 24fps and the camera offers object tracking to make sure moving subjects stay in focus,” notes the post. “Utilizing LCD technology, the Alpha a57 uses a 1,440,000 dot electronic viewfinder rather than a ‘through-the-lens’ optical viewfinder. The camera operator can also utilize the 3-inch, bottom-hinged LCD screen on the back of the a57.”
The interchangeable lens camera will be available by April for $700 (body only). Sony also plans to offer the SLT-A57K, an $800 version that includes a 18-55mm zoom lens.
At the National Association of Broadcasting conference, International Research Park (IRP) will debut a 200-inch glasses-free projection TV from Japan.
“The first U.S. demonstration of a 200-inch, glasses-free 3D projection system will be presented by the Japanese national research lab, National Institute for Information and Communication Technology (NICT),” reports TVNewsCheck. “As the world’s largest display of its kind, the viewing zone for the demonstration is large enough for 30 people to optimally view 3D images without eyewear.”
“IRP, presented by NAB Labs, is a venue designed to highlight advanced projects underway in academic, government and commercial research laboratories worldwide,” notes the article.
IRP will be in the North Hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center during the NAB Show, April 16-19.
Other IRP demos scheduled: “hybrid TV broadcasting proposals (including converged broadcast/wireless-telecom systems), multi-sensory media presentations, 4K video streaming, high-dynamic range and multi-spectral video, enhanced media accessibility for visually and aurally impaired users, 2D and 3D multi-viewpoint video, advanced file-based workflows, advanced interactive gesture control and data visualization technologies.”
Double Fine was seeking $400,000 on Kickstarter for its new adventure game, but met with some surprising results.
“After raking in the first million within 24 hours of the announcement of the project on Kickstarter, game developer Double Fine and Tim Schafer have just closed out the funding round on the crowd-sourced fundraising tool and collected exactly $3,336,371 over a 35-day period,” reports Digital Trends.
The new funds will allow the company to release the game on more platforms and multiple languages.
Originally intended only as a PC game, current plans now include Mac, Linux, iOS and Android versions.
“Since Double Fine has proven that a game can be completely financed by fans, other game developers are likely going to flock to the fundraising platform with new projects,” notes the post. “Phil Fish, designer of the upcoming XBLA-exclusive release ‘Fez,’ is contemplating a Kickstarter campaign to raise money for a new game that won’t be headed to the Xbox platform… Since Fish won’t be able to collect revenue from sales of ‘Fez’ until the game is approved and released on the Xbox 360, he can raise the money required for the new project within a month on Kickstarter rather than wait three to five months to get paid by Microsoft.”
The BBC is reportedly planning a download-to-own service it hopes will compete with iTunes.
“But the producers, through their umbrella organisation pact, have so far declined to give their outright blessing, citing uncertainty over revenue share, exclusivity and the potential for cannibalising DVD sales,” reports paidContent. “They have asked for more detailed assurances.”
Project Barcelona plans to make more BBC content available on multiple platforms while promising producers a greater share per episode than the iTunes model.
Some independent producers reportedly do not want to provide exclusive rights to Barcelona. If the BBC eventually earns suppliers’ support, it will still require approval from the regulating BBC Trust.
“If approved, Barcelona could lay groundwork for a pay-for BBC in a post-analogue, post-linear world,” suggest the article. “But, so far, it concerns only the download-to-own market — a model that may yet diminish as streaming alternatives, which provide cloud-based access but not ownership, grow in popularity.”
Philip Bloom comments on a Kickstarter project for the Digital Bolex, a modern update to the motion picture camera first launched in 1927.
“Launched at SxSW this is one of most interesting camera concepts I have seen…a Digital Bolex, shooting 2K Raw with a 16mm equivalent sensor recording in DNG, TIFF or JPEG sequences AND with XLR inputs for recording audio,” Bloom writes.
Additional features include: 2048 x 1152 resolution (Super 16mm mode) and 1920 x 1080 pixels (16mm mode); frame rates up to 32fps at 2K, 60fps at 720p, 90fps at 480p; Kodak CCD sensor; 12 bit color depth (4:4:4); lens C-mount standard (optional: PL, EF, B4).
According to the project’s Kickstarter page, more than $287,000 has been raised thus far and 91/100 of the first Digital Bolex D16s sold in less than two days.
Bloom’s post includes a 26-minute audio interview with creators Joe Rubinstein and Elle Schneider.
Initial backers have an opportunity to get the camera for $2,500 (retail is expected to be about $3,300). The target release date is August. For you camera fans out there, this could be worth watching and/or backing.
Only three months after its acquisition by Facebook, location-based app Gowalla is closing its doors.
According to Gowalla’s landing page: “Thank you for going out with Gowalla. It was a pleasure to journey with you around the world. Download your check-ins, photos and lists here soon.”
“This leaves Foursquare to prove that its pivot will keep its location-based services relevant for users,” reports Digital Trends, adding that “Foursquare stands as the lone giant lumbering in location-based check-ins, despite the fact that the majority of its users aren’t in fact using Foursquare for checking-in.”
“There are a lot of people using Foursquare who aren’t checking in. People use the app to consume data. That’s a really important and interesting trend,” says Dennis Crowley, Foursquare’s CEO.
Digital Trends suggests the Gowalla purchase for $3 million in Facebook shares was a talent acquisition: “With plans to expand Facebook’s location-based API for statuses and updates detailing user’s visits on their Timelines, the majority of Gowalla’s team settled in Facebook’s Palo Alto, while the remainder stayed in Austin to work in Facebook’s Austin office.”
The initial wave of Panasonic’s Smart Viera HDTVs unveiled at January’s CES are about to become available.
“Panasonic said models in the ST50, UT50, and XT50 plasma series and the E50, ET5, E5 and X5 LED series will be available this month. Also announced were ship dates on LED LCD TV models, a 47-inch (available this month) and 55-inch (available in April and May),” reports TWICE. “The 2012 LED LCD model line features 16 models this year, up from seven a year ago.”
The line features the cloud-based Viera Connect service that offers access to popular applications including Netflix, YouTube and Pandora. It also includes a fitness app that works with a separate Bluetooth-enabled armband.
The ET5 series will feature Panasonic’s first 3D TVs to make use of passive polarized 3D glasses.
Shipments of some models will begin this month, with others to follow in April and May. The article includes a list of MSRPs.
Toshiba’s glasses-free 3D 55ZL2 will launch this week in the UK for about $11,000. At that price, it may not be the breakout model 3D supporters have been waiting for, but its glasses-free approach is a step in the right direction.
“With a 4K resolution and no need for glasses to view 3D content, could it be the savior of 3D at home?” asks Digital Trends.
The 55-inch TV features 3840 x 2160 resolution, 2D-to-3D conversion and upscaling of 1080p content “beyond Full HD.”
Digital Trends describes the lenticular display: “Combined with a camera which tracks viewer’s faces and a multi-core processor inside the set, different images are projected to the left and right eye, producing a 3D picture.”
Additional features of the ZL2 include: Wi-Fi and DLNA connectivity, USB recording, online video content and social networking features, mobile app, built-in subwoofer and four HDMI ports.
DirecTV and Pandora have announced an agreement that will allow the music service’s “stations” to play, without charge, on connected HD DVRs.
“Additionally, you’ll be able to search for artists, songs and browse through different genres, as well as set up jam stations to your liking,” reports Engadget.
DirecTV customers will be able to choose artists and musical genres through the menu of the 1080p guide, customizing Pandora stations.
According to the press release: “Customers will be asked to either create a new Pandora account online or to activate their existing Pandora account on their DirecTV HD DVR. Once activated, Pandora will allow customers to easily create and listen to personalized radio stations, as well as play Pandora over the video that they are watching.”
Symantec designed a clever study to help determine what happens to private information after a smartphone is lost.
As part of the Honey Stick Project, researchers recently “lost” 50 smartphones in public areas of Los Angeles, New York City, San Francisco, Washington DC and Ottowa, Canada.
Each phone was equipped with GPS tracking and a variety of generic “personal, neutral and corporate” apps. None of them were outfitted with passwords.
“While only 25 of the 50 smartphone finders made any attempt to contact the owner and return the device, the more shocking details of the study dive into how privacy is violated after the phone is lost,” reports Digital Trends. “Nearly 90 percent of the devices showed at least one attempt to access the apps within the personal category.”
“The social networking and email applications were accessed on 60 percent of the devices and the online banking application was accessed on more than 40 percent of the smartphones,” notes the article. “A file named ‘HR Salaries’ was accessed on over half of the phones and another file called ‘HR Cases’ was accessed on 40 percent of the sample group. A ‘Remote Admin’ application was accessed on nearly half of the smartphones and a corporate email application was opened up on 45 percent of the devices.”
Symantec recommends using a password or a “draw to unlock” pattern for security. The company suggests using security software “to remotely lock the device or wipe the data from the phone,” and for businesses, encourages formal policies regarding company-issued phones and increased employee education on data protection.
“Since tablets arrived a couple years ago, they have seemed the natural replacement for the printed page, whether it represented a computer document, a book or a magazine,” writes analyst Steve Wildstrom for Tech.pinions. “A tablet could be held like a book or magazine and its software often presented text as pages rather than streams of scrolling text. Their long battery life let you use them without thinking much about the need to recharge.”
What held up this potential shift has been the readability of displays. However, Wildstrom suggests Apple may now have the answer.
“The new iPad, whose display has to be seen to be appreciated, marks a dramatic change,” he writes. “For the first time, type looks as good on a screen as it does on paper. Photos pop in a way they never have before on a tablet, matching high quality printing on good paper.”
Earlier displays for tablets and phones, despite their advances, have been limiting — but the new iPad display may impact how we look at tablets.
“The super high-resolution introduced on the iPhone 4 looked spectacular, but had limited impact because the 3.5-inch display, and even the 5-inch high-res screens turning up on some Android phones, are too small for serious reading,” writes Wildstrom. “Bringing similar resolution to a screen the size of the iPad will change things in much more fundamental ways. The days of printing on paper may finally be numbered.”
As part of its ongoing efforts to attract more advertisers, Facebook rolled out Interest Lists the end of last week.
The new feature “mixes popular Facebook pages with social news aggregation,” reports Digital Trends. “Each curated list is specific to a particular topic such as technology, art, entertainment, causes, music or sports.”
Facebook users can subscribe to lists created by other users. The approach is similar to features such as Twitter lists and Google+ Circles.
“Advertisers will definitely enjoy the ability to curate content within lists, but Facebook users may become annoyed by an increased frequency of page updates that litter the main Facebook feed,” suggests the post. “Facebook users will have to be careful how many subscriptions they acquire in addition to carefully watching the amount of pages followed within each subscribed list.”
Amazon may have plans to become the latest online player to produce original programming.
Netflix, Hulu and YouTube have already set the stage for original content to be distributed via online streaming.
Amazon exec Joe Lewis recently described his title on LinkedIn as “Vice-President of Original Television” before changing it to “Vice-President, Production at Amazon Studios.”
The company has also reportedly advertised for executive positions for overseeing comedy and children’s series.
“The company has charted an aggressive course with its Kindle tablet devices and media services, from books to movies and TV. Its Prime membership service is already a passport to the company’s many services and could grow in the coming years. It isn’t hard to see how beneficial compelling original programming could be to Amazon’s ecosystem,” reports CNNMoney.
As Netflix looks to compete with HBO by teaming up with a cable provider, it has already hit its first snag.
Comcast, the largest U.S. cable provider, said it has “no interest” in partnering with Netflix, reports The Verge. The company already has its own VOD service, Xfinity and recently launched Streampix, which enables access on the Web and mobile devices.
Netflix reportedly plans to seek competitive alternatives with Comcast’s rivals Time Warner, Cox or Bright House.
“Reuters first reported on Wednesday that Netflix had reached out to major cable companies to discuss joining forces. But without Comcast, the reach of those partnerships would be limited,” suggests The New York Times.
Additionally, streaming services are emerging from a number of companies. Comcast’s Streampix offers 75,000 television shows and movies to its its 22.3 million Xfinity subscribers. And according to The New York Times: “Dish Network and Blockbuster have a Web streaming service in the works. Verizon, the parent company of the Verizon FiOS fiberoptic network, has teamed up with Redbox on a Web streaming joint venture.”
