Archive for May, 2007
Infinity 1 Digital Camera Kit for Clinical, Life Science and Materials Science Research
For the Most Demanding Brightfield and Darkfield Microscopy Applications
Advanced Imaging Pro (press release), MD
Media Cybernetics announces the release of its Infinity 1 Digital Camera Kit for qualitative scientific imaging. The Infinity 1 Camera Kit includes a high resolution CMOS color or monochrome microscopy camera which works seamlessly with Image-Pro Plus and Image-Pro Express image processing software.
The low noise characteristic of the Infinity 1 progressive scan 1.3 megapixel image sensor results in crisp color quality for the most demanding brightfield and darkfield microscopy applications including clinical pathology and cytology, life science and geology. The seamless compatibility of the Infinity 1 camera and Image-Pro software streamlines the image acquisition and analysis process for life science and industrial researchers.
MEDIA CYBERNETICS Silver Spring, Md. www.mediacy.com
May 31st, 2007
Waterproof digital wrist camera
Gadgetell, MT
Posted May 29th, 2007 at 5:35 PM by Cheng Hung
Section: Digital Cameras, Imaging
I must admit that having to hold my camera with one hand or two hands is irritating. How about those times when we need to snap photos but are too busy doing something else? Well, here comes something new! With a strap attached to the camera, you can easily equip it to your wrist and snap photos as you like. It is even waterproof, which is definitely a feature that not many cameras possess. This particular camera holds a great winning flag over the others when it comes to taking action photos while you yourself are enjoying the action.
As you can see, the camera can be easily locked onto your wrist. Whenever in need, you can just unlock it and pivot it upwards. And there you go, as simple as that!
This multifunctional camera can be used while hiking, cycling, jogging, and even snorkeling as it is waterproof. You don’t need to worry whether it’s raining or drizzling out there because you can still snap excellent photos with this nifty camera.
Some other specifications of this camera are as follows:
Waterproof to 100 Feet
4.5 Ounces
Image Sensor - 3 Megapixel (2048 x 1536)
Lens - Glass f2.8
Exposure - Auto
3X Sequence Photo Burst
Lies flat on your wrist or flips up
Dual Shutter Buttons to take photos regardless of camera orientation
Internal Memory - 16MB expandable to 2GB with SD card
Video - 640 x 480 with sound (54 mins from 2GB SD Card)
Self Timer - 10s
Connectors - USB, Composite Video Out
Power - 2 AAA Batteries (included)
Compatible OS - Windows ME/200/XP and Mac OS
If I were you, I would be dying to get my hands on this. With only $139.99, this item could be in your possession.
May 30th, 2007
Digital Camera Technology Embraces Nanotechnology To Create Super Low Light Single Carrier Modulation Photo Detector (SMPD) Imaging Chips
AZoNano.com, Australia
Korean researchers from Planet 82 Inc. have used nanotechnology to develop a super low light chip for use in next generation digital cameras.
Single Carrier Modulation Photo Detector
The new chip is a VGA, 2 megapixel, full colour chip known as a Single Carrier Modulation Photo Detector (SMPD). The chip uses nanotechnology to give a pixel structure in the SMPD that increases dynamic range.
Low Light Capabilities
The SMPD is around 2000 times more sensitive to light than traditional CMOS and CCD sensors while being about half their size. This means the chip can create images at a shutter speed of 1/30 of a sec in near darkness or only 0.1 lux. At this light level the human eye is barely able to resolve anything.
May 29th, 2007
Samsung Techwin Gaining in U.S. with Digital Cameras
Chosun Ilbo, South Korea
Samsung Techwin’s market share in North America is growing thanks to robust sales of its VLUU digital camera. According to market researcher IDC, Samsung Techwin has secured 11 percent of the market, bumping Nikon out of fourth place in the first quarter this year.In the first quarter last year, the company had only 4 percent of the North American market and ranked eighth. In the global market it had a five percent share. The U.S. accounts for 30 percent of the world’s digital camera market.
Samsung Techwin has been strengthening its sales with large distributors like Best Buy since February and has also moved into the premium digital camera sector with its VLUU.
The number one digital camera brand in the U.S. was Canon with 21 percent of the market, followed by Sony with 16 percent and Kodak with 13 percent. Nikon ranked fifth with 7 percent.
Overall digital camera shipments to the U.S. grew six percent with 4.9 million units in the first quarter.
(englishnews@chosun.com )
May 28th, 2007
Digital Camera Basics-resolution, Exposure, Focus, and Storage
Manila Mail, DC
Resolution
The amount of detail that a camera can capture is called the resolution, and it is measured in pixels. The more pixels a camera has, the more detail it can capture and the larger pictures can be without becoming blurry or “grainy.” High-end consumer cameras can capture over 12 million pixels. Some professional cameras support over 16 million pixels (megapixels), or 20 million pixels for large-format cameras. For comparison, it has been estimated that the quality of 35mm film is about 20 million pixels.
Exposure and Focus
Just as with film, a digital camera has to control the amount of light that reaches the sensor. The two components it uses to do this, the aperture and shutter speed, are also present on conventional cameras.
Aperture: The size of the opening in the camera. The aperture is automatic in most digital cameras, but some allow manual adjustment to give professionals and hobbyists more control over the final image.
Shutter speed: The amount of time that light can pass through the aperture. Unlike film, the light sensor in a digital camera can be reset electronically, so digital cameras have a digital shutter rather than a mechanical shutter.
These two aspects work together to capture the amount of light needed to make a good image. In photographic terms, they set the exposure of the sensor.
In addition to controlling the amount of light, the camera has to adjust the lenses to control how the light is focused on the sensor. In general, the lenses on digital cameras are very similar to conventional camera lenses — some digital cameras can even use conventional lenses. Most use automatic focusing techniques.
The focal length, however, is one important difference between the lens of a digital camera and the lens of a 35mm camera. The focal length is the distance between the lens and the surface of the sensor. Sensors from different manufacturers vary widely in size, but in general they’re smaller than a piece of 35mm film. In order to project the image onto a smaller sensor, the focal length is shortened by the same proportion.
Focal length also determines the magnification, or zoom, when you look through the camera. In 35mm cameras, a 50mm lens gives a natural view of the subject. Increasing the focal length increases the magnification, and objects appear to get closer. The reverse happens when decreasing the focal length. A zoom lens is any lens that has an adjustable focal length, and digital cameras can have optical or digital zoom — some have both. Some cameras also have macro focusing capability, meaning that the camera can take pictures from very close to the subject.
Digital cameras have one of four types of lenses:
1) Fixed-focus, fixed-zoom lenses - These are the kinds of lenses on disposable and inexpensive film cameras — inexpensive and great for snapshots, but fairly limited.
2) Optical-zoom lenses with automatic focus - Similar to the lens on a video camcorder, these have “wide” and “telephoto” options and automatic focus. The camera may or may not support manual focus. These actually change the focal length of the lens rather than just magnifying the information that hits the sensor.
3) Digital-zoom lenses - With digital zoom, the camera takes pixels from the center of the image sensor and interpolates (alters) them to make a full-sized image. Depending on the resolution of the image and the sensor, this approach may create a grainy or fuzzy image. You can manually do the same thing with image processing software — simply snap a picture, cut out the center and magnify it.
4) Replaceable lens systems - These are similar to the replaceable lenses on a 35mm camera. Some digital cameras can use 35mm camera lenses.
Storage of Images
Most digital cameras have an LCD screen so you can view your picture right away. This is one of the great advantages of a digital camera — you get immediate feedback on what you capture. Of course, viewing the image on your camera would lose its charm if that’s all you could do. You want to be able to load the picture into your computer or send it directly to a printer. There are several ways to do this.
Although most of today’s cameras are capable of connecting through serial, parallel, SCSI, USB, or FireWire connections, they usually also use some sort of removable storage device. Digital cameras use a number of storage systems. These are like reusable, digital film, and they use a caddy or card reader to transfer the data to a computer. Many involve fixed or removable flash memory. Digital camera manufacturers often develop their own proprietary flash memory devices, including SmartMedia cards, CompactFlash cards and Memory Sticks. Other removable storage device include floppy disks, hard disks (external, or microdrives), and writeable CD’s and DVD’s.
Regardless of what type of storage they use, all digital cameras need lots of room for pictures. They usually store images in one of two formats — TIFF, which is uncompressed, and JPEG, which is compressed. Most cameras use the JPEG file format for storing pictures, and they sometimes offer quality settings (such as medium or high).
To make the most of their storage space, almost all digital cameras use some sort of additional data compression to make the files smaller. One compression routine takes advantage of patterns that repeat. The image can be reconstructed exactly as it was recorded, reducing the file size no more than 50%, often much less. Another compression routine called irrelevancy eliminates some of the more meaningless data, taking advantage of the fact that digital cameras record more information than the human eye can easily detect.
Brian Lee is co-owner of http://www.WorldCameraVideo.com. 100% Customer Satisfaction Guarantee on entire line of digital cameras, camcorders, webcams, security cameras, photo printers, & accessories.
May 28th, 2007
How to Earn Using Your Digital Camera
American Chronicle, CA
Gerry Restrivera
May 23, 2007
Digital camera is a peace of equipment that a person with a passion on taking photos must have. Having a digital camera along with its accessories is not cheap. But those who love to take photos invest on these things for the love of capturing images and pictures. Capturing beautiful moments and images give a sense of fulfillment but in today’s demand for photos and photographers you can also earn using your digital camera.
Of course to earn using your digital camera, you need to learn every features and functions of your camera and you must know something about photography to capture unforgettable moments or eye catching subjects and relay the feelings and message through your photos.
Here some ways to earn using your digital camera:
Contact local agencies in your area in need of photographers
One way to earn using your digital camera is to get in touch with local agencies in your area in need of photographers who could take pictures of their vehicles, houses and other properties for sale or in need of financing or insurance. Insurance companies and real estate agents are usually looking for freelance photographers who can take decent pictures of the above mentioned properties.
Capture moments on special occasions
You can also offer services to take pictures of special occasions to earn using your digital camera. Occasions like weddings, birthdays and graduations are important events that need to be captured for souvenirs. You can take advantage on these special moments to offer your services and get paid.
Sell your photos online
You can sell your photos online. There are stock photography companies or agencies that you can find all over the internet that will allow you to sign up for free and upload your photos on their database and get paid if someone bought your photos. Of course you must put yourself on the customers’ perspective and take high quality pictures to make sales but with high tech cameras nowadays taking quality pictures is a lot easier than before.
There are a lot of ways to earn using your digital camera. Of course you need skills, dedication and credibility to do business and earn using your digital camera. While you are looking for opportunities to earn using your digital camera, you must keep learning and hone your ability to take awesome and exceptional photos.
Did you know that you can earn using your digital camera up to $250 a day and have the opportunity to earn monthly residual income with every photo that you submit online? Discover how to make money – lots and lots of money –with your digital camera visit Camera Dollars System
To know more about making money with your camera visit Earn From Your Camera
To know how to make money online visit How to Make Money Online
May 24th, 2007
Best digital camera to travel with? That’s the Canon Ixus 70, Lost Weekend claims
Mobile Digest, UK
Our brand spankin’ new travel-blog-for-men, Lost Weekend, is going through the motions of kitting you out with the best travel gadgets to throw into your rucksack.First on board is the Canon Ixus 70 digital camera, which editor Ollie Irish claims “not only looks lovely – much like the original film Ixus, after which it was styled – but also takes very decent pictures, thanks to its 7.1 megapixel sensor. Perhaps the best thing about it is its size: measuring just 19.4mm thick (or thin), the 70 will hardly trouble the cut of your slacks”. Perfect!
For more travel-related tips and stories for the more, ahem, bloke-ish amongst us, check out Lost Weekend, born just yesterday from Shiny Media’s loins.
May 23rd, 2007
Casio EX-Z1200 Moves to 12 Megapixels
Digitaltrends.com, OR
Casio’s new Exilim EX-Z1200 camera offers 12 megapixel resolution, 2.8 LCD viewfinder, face detection, and a high-quality movie mode.
Casio has announced the EX-Z1200, a new top-line model in its Exilim digital camera line offering a 12.1 megapixel resolution, face detection technology, image stabilization, and a high-quality movie mode. The camera supplants last year’s EX-Z1000 model, which marked Casio’s first Exilim to crack the 10 megapixel barrier.
“The newest addition of the slim, stylish EXILIM line represents Casio’s continuing objective to produce innovative products fit for everyone’s needs,” said Bill Heuer, VP of Casio’s Digital Imaging Division, in a statement. “The EX-Z1200 incorporates the same characteristics from the EX-Z1000 and adds new features such as face detection and motion analysis technology which make photographs more life like.”
The EX-Z1200 offers a 12.1 megapixel CCD with a 3× optical zoom, a CDD-shifting image stabilization system to help eliminate blurring due to camera motion, along with in-camera digital blur reduction technologies. The camera also offers face detection technologies which can track a human face in its frame and correct focus and exposure for that face as the camera ad subject move. The camera also offers a 3 shot/second burst mode (at three megapixels), and sports a 2.8-inch LCD display. Users can store images to SD/SDHC memory cards, and the camera has 11.4 MB of on-board memory. The camera offers a series of movie modes for folks who don’t want to carry around a separate camcorder—including options for a 848 by 480 “HQ Wide” mode—although video recording time is apparently limited to 10 minutes per file regardless of resolution.
Casio is also offering a new feature in the Z1200: eBay Best Shot mode, which takes images automatically sized for best display on the online auction site eBay (like, say, if you wanted to sell that now-outdated Z1000 or that “fun” Casio musical keyboard). The eBay mode includes an auto macro function for snapping pictures of tags and small items like jewelry, and stashes all eBay mode images in a special directory.
The Exilim EX-Z1200 should be available at retailers beginning in mid-July at a suggested price of $399.99. Silver and black versions will be available.
May 22nd, 2007
Camera phone maker mulls gadget‘s impact
Dunton Springs Evening Post, CO
Staff and agencies
20 May, 2007
By MAY WONG, AP Technology Writer Sun May 20, 1:47 AM ET
SANTA CRUZ, Calif. - The chilling sounds of gunfire on the Virginia Tech campus; the hateful taunts from Saddam Hussein ‘s execution; the racist tirade of comedian Michael Richards.
“It‘s had a massive impact because it‘s just so convenient,” said Philippe Kahn, a tech industry maverick whose other pioneering efforts include the founding of software maker Borland, an early Microsoft Corp. antagonist.
If Kahn feels a bit like a proud father when he sees people holding up their cell phones to snap pictures, there‘s good reason: He jury-rigged the first camera phone while his wife was in labor with their daughter.
So as he sat in a maternity ward, he wrote a crude program on his laptop and sent an assistant to a RadioShack store to get a soldering iron, capacitors and other supplies to wire his digital camera to his cell phone. When Sophie was born, he sent her photo over a cellular connection to acquaintances around the globe.
Market researcher Gartner Inc. predicts that about 589 million cell phones will be sold with cameras in 2007, increasing to more than 1 billion worldwide by 2010.
“For the past decade, we‘ve been under surveillance under these big black and white cameras on buildings and at 7-Eleven stores. But the candid camera is wielded by individuals now,” said Fred Turner, an assistant professor of communications at Stanford University who specializes in digital media and culture.
It has prompted lawsuits — a student sued campus police at UCLA for alleged excessive force after officers were caught on cell-phone video using a stun gun during his arrest; and been a catalyst for change — a government inquiry into police practices ensued in Malaysia after a cell-phone video revealed a woman detainee being forced to do squats while naked.
One of the recipients of Kahn‘s seminal photo e-mail was veteran technology consultant Andy Seybold, who recalled being “blown away” by the picture.
Kahn‘s makeshift photo-communications system formed the basis for a new company, LightSurf Technologies, which he later sold to VeriSign Inc. LightSurf built “PictureMail” software and worked with cell phone makers to integrate the wireless photo technology.
Though Kahn‘s work revolved around transmitting only digital still photographs — video-related developments were created by others in the imaging and chip industries — his groundbreaking implementation of the instant-sharing via a cell phone planted a seed.
“He facilitated people putting cameras in a phone, and he proved that you can take a photo and send it to someone with a cell phone,” Seybold said.
Kahn, 55, is well aware of how the camera phone has since been put to negative uses: sneaky shots up women‘s skirts, or the violent trend of “happy slapping” in Europe where youths provoke a fight or assault, capture the incident on camera and then spread the images on the Web or between mobile phones.
But he likes to focus on the technology‘s benefits. It‘s been a handy tool that has led to vindication for victims or validation for vigilantes.
As Kahn heard the smattering of stories in recent years about assailants scared off by a camera phone or criminals who were nabbed later because their faces or their license plates were captured on the gadget, he said, “I started feeling it was better than carrying a gun.”
And though he found the camera-phone video of the former Iraqi dictator‘s execution disturbing, Kahn said the gadget helped “get the truth out.” The unofficial footage surreptitiously taken by a guard was vastly different from the government-issued version and revealed a chaotic scene with angry exchanges depicting the ongoing problems between the nation‘s factions.
Kahn also thinks the evolution of the camera phone has only just begun.
He wouldn‘t discuss details of his newest startup, Fullpower Technologies Inc., which is in stealth mode working on the “convergence of life sciences and wireless,” according to its Web site.
But, Kahn said, it will, among other things, “help make camera phones better.”
May 21st, 2007
Services help shoppers with cell phones find merchandise
Pittsburgh Post Gazette, PA
Sunday, May 20, 2007
By Teresa F. Lindeman, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
It was winter 2005 and Alex Muller needed a sweeper. The New York City resident began wandering around looking for stores that might carry them. But he missed the Internet with its easy access to vacuum cleaner ratings, reviews and information on who might have good ones.
That experience inspired the Carnegie Mellon University alum to launch a shopping service for users of mobile phones, helping them search their cities for merchandise. His company offers Slifter.com, one of a rash of new services meant to make cell phones useful for more than calling home to see if she wanted blue or pink, and what size was that again?
It’s early yet to know which services will win out and what business model will prevail. Some offer programs that require consumers to pay fees, others are free to consumers — beyond air time or texting charges — with retailers paying for clicks. But, with Americans embracing handheld devices, the time may be near when a lot of shopping will be done, at least initially, by consumers letting their fingers do the walking on the cell-phone numbers pad.
Take the service offered by Frucall, a California company that consumers call from the local store to get online options. The Sears at Ross Park Mall recently had a Next Generation George Foreman Grill G5 on sale for $129.99. Typing in the item’s bar code at Frucall generated a report that it could be had at Amazon.com for $100, including estimated shipping costs.
There are other services along those lines, including one being tested by Yahoo!. But generally those pit online vs. off-line. Frucall can’t tell the shopper looking for a last-minute Christmas gift if the same grill is carried in other stores at the mall.
NearbyNow, another California venture, is working on that. This company is busy wiring malls to help those looking for, say, jeans to identify which stores carry the right brands. “Think about it as Google for the mall,” said Dan Steinman, vice president, customer relations.
NearbyNow set up its first mall in August in San Jose, Calif. Now it has more than 30 with a steady stream of new sites coming online. The closest to Pittsburgh is Westfield Belden Village in Canton, Ohio, which went live a few weeks ago.
For mall shoppers, signs will tell them to send a text message to a certain code. Once there, they can text, say, “jeans.” In the case of Belden Village, a message came back saying 45 stores carry them. A second message said Macy’s carried Tommy Hilfiger Boyfriend Jeans for $59 and Dillard’s had DKNY “Lud-Tlow” jeans for $48.
Information kept coming steadily as long as the user sent a code asking for more. Starting with a more specific search would make the hunt more focused.
Beyond inventory information, Mr. Steinman said the company had found that people want to know what’s on sale. Making the assumption that anyone sending in text messages is probably in the mall, the service may follow up its initial responses with alerts about sales or may offer discounts. “The theme of mobile search is going to be ‘never miss a sale,’ ” he said.
NearbyNow also offers a merchandise reservation service for those searching the mall’s Web site. After receiving a request, the company’s call center phones the store, which puts the item aside.
Proof this is still a work in progress is that not all the inventory at a particular mall is in the NearbyNow database. Chains that have Web sites with product descriptions already written are easy to load, but smaller retailers may offer only more general descriptions of the categories they carry.
Among the mall operators NearbyNow is talking with, Mr. Steinman said, are the owner of Monroeville Mall and Westmoreland Mall, and the owner of Ross Park Mall, South Hills Village and Century III Mall. He predicted the service would be in more than 100 centers nationally before the holiday shopping season.
Still, NearbyNow wouldn’t help find someone inside a mall discover that the same merchandise is available at a free-standing store across the street — something Mr. Muller hopes to do with GPShopper Inc.
His dream is to create a global positioning system of tracking down the stuff people want and taking them to it. For now, the GPS part is more goal than reality, but his service does claim to have inventoried more than 65 million items in 30,000 stores tagged by ZIP code.
A check of Slifter.com’s store listings for the Pittsburgh region shows plenty of gaps. Stores listed included Radio Shack, Best Buy, Toys R Us, Dick’s Sporting Goods and Office Max, among others. It’s a start.
Typing in “digital camera” for the Post-Gazette’s ZIP code brought up a selection: a Nikon Coolpix S9, a Barbie Digital Camera, a Large Camera Bag, Notebook Web Camera, Digital Spy Camera and so on.
Clicking on the Nikon Coolpix found five places to buy the camera — all for $249.95 — within 83.6 miles. The closest was a mere 0.55 miles away: Bernies Photo Center Inc. on East Ohio Street. There is an image, a description of the product, a note that it is in stock and, with another click, a map of the location. Then, more evidence of how new these services are: A call to Bernies draws a blank from the first employee on the phone, at least about the mobile shopping service. The store does carry Nikon cameras.
“I don’t know how we got on there,” said Jim Lynn, an employee who handles Web development for the store and its used-product sibling, Pittsburgh Camera Exchange. He supplies inventory information to search engines regularly and even uses his own Verizon Wireless phone to Google items and link with a GPS program to figure out how to get to the goods.
He hadn’t heard of Slifter.
On the other hand, he could report a slight increase in mobile shopping for the North Side business. In the last month, at least three orders to his employer’s Web operations came from mobile devices, more than usual.
Turns out Nikon itself put Bernies on this particular map. The company supplied a list of independent authorized dealers and arranged for its product to show up on searches. Nikon was happy to report 38 percent of users who received the link opened it, with nearly 7 percent of those sending a link to friends or family.
A Nikon spokeswoman described the service as “extremely compelling for brand marketers who are looking to interact with consumers while they are out and about, shopping.”
At the beginning of the year, Slifter had tallied more than 150,000 users, said Mr. Muller. That could grow with a deal expected soon partnering the service with a major cell-phone carrier.
The company, which has fewer than 25 employees and isn’t profitable, must tackle ongoing issues with pulling data from numerous sources and working through different phone carriers. Any industry player communicating with people’s cell phones has to think about privacy issues. Then there’s the challenge of keeping the in-stock information up to date.
Every night, the inventory status is updated. Mr. Muller has seen lots of searches for the Nintendo Wii game system. For products like that, which are in short supply, the service isn’t ready to help because no one wants customers to be disappointed. If there isn’t enough to get through a sales day, it won’t be listed.
But give the industry time. Just think how fast shoppers could move if inventories were updated every 15 minutes.
May 21st, 2007
Previous Posts