| New OmniVision 16-megapixel camera sensors could record 4K, 60 fps video on your smartphone May 22nd 2012, 19:07  Nokia has reportedly been dreaming of PureView phones with 4K video; as of today, OmniVision is walking the walk quite a bit earlier. The 16-megapixel resolution of the OV16820 and OV16825 is something we've seen before, but it now has a massive amount of headroom for video. If your smartphone or camcorder has the processing grunt to handle it, either of the sensors can record 4K (3840 x 2160, to be exact) video at a super-smooth 60 fps, or at the camera's full 4608 x 3456 if you're willing to putt along at 30 fps. The pair of backside-illuminated CMOS sensors can burst-shoot still photos at the bigger size, too, and can handle up to 12-bit RAW. Impressive stuff, but if you were hoping for OmniVision to name devices, you'll be disappointed: it's typically quiet about the customer list, and mass production isn't due for either version until the fall. On the upside, it could be next year that we're feeding our 4K projectors with Mr. Blurrycam smartphone videos. Continue reading New OmniVision 16-megapixel camera sensors could record 4K, 60 fps video on your smartphone New OmniVision 16-megapixel camera sensors could record 4K, 60 fps video on your smartphone originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 22 May 2012 15:07:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink |  OmniVision | Email this | Comments | | AMEX and Zynga team up for themed card, replace cash back with FarmVille rewards May 22nd 2012, 18:55  Have you ever judged a friend's financial savvy based on the rewards yield of the cards in their wallet? Now you won't have a choice. For those of you that abhor free flights, detest comped hotel rooms and net severe displeasure from earning cash back, AMEX may finally have your plastic match. It's called the Zynga Serve Rewards card -- yes, the same Zynga that's behind time-sink cash cows like FarmVille, CityVille and CastleVille (?!) -- and it enables you to accrue "Zynga Farm Cash," which as you might imagine provides no financial gratification in the physical world. "FarmVille players now have the ability to plant an interactive Serve Money Tree in their Farms which will give them the ability to level up in game and earn Zynga Farm Cash for virtual awards redemption." We can't make this stuff up. The co-branded prepaid card is tied to a US currency-filled bank account, debit or credit card, and rewards will be assigned for your first five purchases of $25 -- at launch, with further incentives to come later this year. On top of that limitation, there's also a fairly outrageous fee structure (which effectively translates to 2.9 percent of each transaction when the account is funded with another credit card), detailed in full at the source link. Well, at least the card is colorful. Go tell that "Serve Money Tree" that water's on the way! Continue reading AMEX and Zynga team up for themed card, replace cash back with FarmVille rewards AMEX and Zynga team up for themed card, replace cash back with FarmVille rewards originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 22 May 2012 14:55:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | AMEX Serve, Zynga Serve | Email this | Comments | | Purported fifth-gen iPod touch panel slips out, shows a tall 4.1-inch screen that's possibly iPhone-bound May 22nd 2012, 18:43  It's been a long, long time since Apple undertook a significant redesign of the iPod touch, which hasn't been looked at since 2010 and received just a splash of white last year. A possible front panel part leak we've just seen could overturn all that -- and hint at the 2012 iPhone's direction in the process. If we go by the claims of MacRumors' supplier friends, the media player would be growing up, but not out, with a taller 4.1-inch screen. We're skeptical, as the white part (black on the inside) seems almost too good to be true -- we haven't seen anything similar elsewhere in the unofficial parts market. Still, having heard murmurs of larger iPhone screens and knowing Apple's own tendency to base the iPod touch on whatever iPhone flavor is new this year, we could be looking at iPhones and iPods growing for the first time since 2007. There's also some as yet unconfirmed next-gen iPhone parts included by the source, although we'd hesitate to call them smoking guns unless they're put together in Apple-like form later in the year. Purported fifth-gen iPod touch panel slips out, shows a tall 4.1-inch screen that's possibly iPhone-bound originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 22 May 2012 14:43:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | MacRumors | Email this | Comments | | Google goes Moogle, celebrates Moog's birthday with interactive doodle May 22nd 2012, 18:29  It's time to surrender another afternoon to an interactive Google doodle. The search engine has outdone itself in celebration of the late-Bob Moog's birthday. The electronic music pioneer was born on May 23rd, 1934. Seeing as how the anniversary isn't until tomorrow, the doodle hasn't actually hit our Google front page. Thanks to the magic of timezones, however, you can check it out on some of the company's many international sites, as our colleagues at Engadget Japanese pointed out. Google's really outdone itself here, you can play the synth doodle by tapping on the keys with your cursor, or by hitting the numbers on your keyboard. Naturally, there are plenty of knobs to fiddle with, and you can also record your musical experiments for posterity. Get switched-on with the music awesomeness in the source link below. Continue reading Google goes Moogle, celebrates Moog's birthday with interactive doodle Google goes Moogle, celebrates Moog's birthday with interactive doodle originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 22 May 2012 14:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink  Engadget Japanese | Google Japan | Email this | Comments | | Nokia axes Skype client on Lumia 610, claims user experience wasn't 'up to par' May 22nd 2012, 18:24  It took nearly a full month, but Nokia has finally been convinced that Skype is indeed incompatible with low-memory Windows Phones. In reaching out to a spokesperson, the company confirmed to us that it has decided to yank the official client from the Marketplace on the Lumia 610. The device -- which utilizes a scant 256MB of RAM -- originally allowed the service to be downloaded despite Skype's claims that 512MB was the minimum amount of memory required for the app to function properly. The internet phone service, as it turns out, was correct: Nokia, stating that the user experience is "workable" but not "up to par with Nokia's and Skype's expectation," has pulled the plug on any future downloads. Users who managed to snag the app before it disappeared can still enjoy (or hate, depending on your experience) it on their Lumia 610, but until Skype is able to lower the memory restrictions, it looks like everyone else is out of luck. Head below for the full translated statement. Continue reading Nokia axes Skype client on Lumia 610, claims user experience wasn't 'up to par' Nokia axes Skype client on Lumia 610, claims user experience wasn't 'up to par' originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 22 May 2012 14:24:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink WMPowerUser | WeLoveWP (translated) | Email this | Comments | | Google's self-driving cars will return to roots, tour California May 22nd 2012, 17:41  Thanks to a new law passed in California, Google's driverless cars might soon be stuck in its traffic with all the other hapless commuters. Although they won't hit the highway yet, like they can in Nevada, the bipartisan bill will allow bureaucrats to craft safety and performance standards -- letting the robotic rigs roll (with licensed minders) in the near future. Joining Hawaii, Florida, Arizona and Oklahoma with similar legislation, the state hopes to reduce carnage on the roads caused by human error, and is backed by Google, the California Highway Patrol and various civic, auto and tech clubs. Of course, given that it was birthed in Google's Mountain View X lab, it's only natural that the autonomous EV should be allowed to roam free on its home turf. Google's self-driving cars will return to roots, tour California originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 22 May 2012 13:41:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Wired | Email this | Comments | | Eugene Polley, co-creator of the wireless TV remote, passes away aged 96 May 22nd 2012, 17:22  Eugene Polley, inventor of the wireless remote control has passed away aged 96. Working for Zenith Electronics, he developed the FlashMatic control in 1955, using beams of light directed at photo-sensors in a television to change channel or volume. Like all pioneering technology it had some quirks -- it couldn't distinguish between the light from the remote and direct sunlight, causing inadvertent channel changes during summer days. Dr. Robert Adler (1913 - 2007) superseded the technology with his ultrasonic "clicker," but Polley's system would be reborn with the advent of infra-red remotes. He subsequently went on to work on the push-button radio and helped to develop the video disc -- the predecessor of DVD. Both men were honored with Emmy Awards in 1997 and countless other plaudits for their engineering achievement, as well as knowing that a sizable proportion of the planet use their work on a daily, nay hourly basis. Our thoughts are with his family. Continue reading Eugene Polley, co-creator of the wireless TV remote, passes away aged 96 Eugene Polley, co-creator of the wireless TV remote, passes away aged 96 originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 22 May 2012 13:22:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink David Allen Green (Twitter) | | Email this | Comments | |
