| Leica Monochrom test turns up the ISO, doesn't bring the noise May 30th 2012, 16:31  In the case of "why would you pay $8k for a black and white camera," exhibit 'A' would surely be the lack of a color filter array corrupting the image. Without one, the Leica Monochrom -- with a similar CCD to its M9 stablemate -- should have less noise. Tests comparing the two cameras on Red Dot Forum confirm it, with the Monochrom cleaner in glorious black & white at all ISO's up to the M9's maximum of 2500. Past that, a touch of NR gave the Monochrom a pleasing film-grain look to our eyes at ISO 5000, but at ISO 10,000 images started to sparkle and approach the "barely usable" range. Still, combined with the increased sharpness and resolution, very well-heeled purists might be tempted. Leica Monochrom test turns up the ISO, doesn't bring the noise originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 30 May 2012 12:31:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink |  Red Dot Forum | Email this | Comments | | Infinitec returns with Android 4.0-based HDMI dongle, Kickstarts the Pocket TV May 30th 2012, 16:05  Remember Infinitec? Tricky question, no? The company came to us at CES 2010 with a product that had big -- nay, huge -- aspirations. It was a simple USB stick that promised to enable ad hoc streaming, claiming to bring "infinite storage" to PC users. Unfortunately, it wasn't exactly seamless in operation, and the company's been radio silent ever since. Until today. The Dubai-based outfit is officially getting back in the consumer technology game starting right now, and as it seems that all the cool kids are doing these days, it's going the Kickstarter route in lieu of more conventional capital raising. The new product is an Android-based HDMI dongle -- not entirely unlike a few others we've seen -- which is being dubbed Pocket TV. Just as Tim Cook stated last night at D10, the TV industry is an interesting one, and it's obvious that people want something different than they have today. Plug this guy into your television, and you'll be able to Skype from the big screen, show PowerPoint presentations without a laptop connection and tap into files you've got hosted on Dropbox (or any other cloud-based Android app). Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) is onboard, and it'll ship with a gyro-equipped keyboard remote that allows control via one's hand motions. Thinking of giving these guys another shot? Hit that source link below and put your money ($99 or more) where your mouse is. Infinitec returns with Android 4.0-based HDMI dongle, Kickstarts the Pocket TV originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 30 May 2012 12:05:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Kickstarter | Email this | Comments | | Verizon doubles FiOS speeds to 300Mbps, thumb-twiddling waits are officially over May 30th 2012, 15:17  Verizon's IP network traffic jam apparently wasn't that much of an issue, since it just kicked up the speeds for FiOS service by a notch... or ten. Unless you're a spendthrift sticking to the base 15Mbps plan, download speeds have more than doubled across the board -- including to an eye-watering 300Mbps if you opt for the costliest plan. Upload speeds aren't advancing quite so quickly, although those who spring for the two highest tiers will see their upload speeds crack 65Mbps. The fiber speed-up is being attributed to a flood of Internet video and cloud backups, both of which get downright reasonable at 300Mbps; Verizon figures that both a 2-hour HD movie download and a 10GB backup will finish in 22 minutes or less. Whether or not pricing will have changed will have to wait until the speed upgrades take effect in June. Somehow, we can't imagine a drop anytime soon in the $200 monthly outlay for the top tier. Verizon doubles FiOS speeds to 300Mbps, thumb-twiddling waits are officially over originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 30 May 2012 11:17:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | FiOS Internet, Speed Fact Sheet (PDF) | Email this | Comments | |
