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Monday, October 05, 2009

PhotoFilmStrip Creates Ken Burns-Style Video from Images [Downloads]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/lifehacker/full/~3/yhCgSXDETwY/photofilmstrip-creates-ken-burns+style-video-from-images

Windows/Linux: Free, open-source application PhotoFilmStrip creates video from photographs quickly and easily, complete with effects, a soundtrack, and smooth zoom in/out effects (commonly referred to as the Ken Burns effect).

The cheesy cat video above demonstrates PhotoFilmStrip in action. Creating your video from still images with the app is a breeze. Just drag and drop pictures you want to use into the application, select the effects you want to use (if any), determine the settings for the pan and zoom Ken Burns effect, and, when you're done, add some background music and export the video to DVD, XviD, or one of the other supported formats. (It can even export in HD.)

PhotoFilmStrip is a free, open-source application for Windows and Linux only. (Mac users, iMovie actually comes with its own Ken Burns effect for still images.) As FreewareGenius points out, it doesn't have a lot of bells and whistles, but it handles what it does really well. If you give it a go, let's hear how you like it in the comments.

PhotoFilmStrip [via FreewareGenius]

Flash Apps to Come to the iPhone, But Not to Safari [IPhone]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/o4JdpfYDL4o/flash-apps-to-come-to-the-iphone-but-not-to-safari

After today's bad news, Adobe Senior Product Manager for Developer Relations Mike Chambers has announced a way to put Flash into the iPhone: Compile Flash into full standalone applications for the App Store. This solves part of the iPhone-Flash conundrum.

Using the next version of Flash Authoring—which is now in private beta—developers will be able to turn any Flash app or widget into an iPhone/iPod touch application. Some apps will require optimization, taking into account the iPhone's hardware limitations and its multi-touch user interface conventions:

The iPhone has a significantly slower processor and less memory than what can be found in a typical desktop computer. As such, existing content may need to be optimized for performance, and / or user interactions (given the smaller screen and different UI metaphors).

However, publishers will be able to easily adjust their existing code at a small cost, developing a full app that would be available at the App Store. While this doesn't fix the lack of Flash in Safari—which Chambers says they are still working on—it's a huge advance. Just imagine Web publishers creating iPhone-capable versions of their sites—or part of them—which would feed on the same online data as their browser-based counterparts.

Now, if Adobe introduced a Flash video player, and Apple enabled Safari to recognize Flash video like they do now with YouTube H.234 material, everything would be fine. [Flash apps for iPhone and Mike Chambers]

Using the Red One and 5d Mark II to Create Living Magazines [Magazines]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/7NrcSZzASqs/using-the-red-one-and-5d-mark-ii-to-create-living-magazines

Magazines are going down the crapper as a medium, but the crew at Alexx Henry photography envisions a world where OLED and eInk screens put motion into mags and makes them cutting-edge.

Is this what the future of publishing looks like? Well, I'd be pretty surprised if these techs became anywhere close to disposable anytime soon. Instead, we'll be seeing things like the Apple Tablet and Microsoft Courier coming along to load up stuff like this. But despite the packaging differences, the finished product loaded on these next-gen displays could be pretty similar to this. And it looks pretty badass. [Living Art Media]

Conde Nast Closes Four Magazines, Focusing on Digital Distribution [Digital]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/Z9jjOQ0V1FE/conde-nast-closes-four-magazines-focusing-on-digital-distribution

Normally the closure of two bridal magazines, a dining magazine and a mom magazine wouldn't be notable; except that this time their publisher, Conde Nast, notes that they're going to focus on digital distribution instead.

The important part of Gawker's memo is here:

In the coming weeks, we hope to announce initiatives to develop digital versions of our brands that will make use of new devices and distribution channels.

New devices makes it seem like it's not just moving those four publications online—a move that would have succeeded already if just going online would save magazines. It's that new devices bit that's intriguing. [Gawker]

Crank This Battery To Charge Up [Batteries]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/7O1MbUWplO4/crank-this-battery-to-charge-up

The Wind Up Battery is a rechargeable battery with a little pop-out hand-crank to power up using some good ol' fashioned elbow grease. I'd probably looks like an idiot using it, but better than suffering without a AA.

Designed by Qian Jiang, the concept is actually rather brilliant since it wouldn't require an additional gadget to recharge your batteries and depending on how many recharges it would allow for, it might be a rather good deal too. Since this battery is still a concept, we're a bit skeptical about the claim that it could be fully charged in 20 minutes, but that would be fast enough for most of us. Those of us who haven't got the arm muscles of a noodle that is. [Yanko Design]

This Is a Photoshop and It Blew My Mind [Graphics]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/D259gyPgnF0/this-is-a-photoshop-and-it-blew-my-mind

PhotoSketch is an internet-based program that can take the rough, labeled sketch on the left and automagically turn it into the naff montage on the right. Seems unbelievable but—as the video shows—it works:

According to authors, their software can take any rough sketch, with the shape of each element labeled with its name, find images corresponding to each drawn element, judge which are a better match to the shapes, and then seamlessly merge it all into one single image.

PhotoSketch's blending algorithm analyzes each of these images, compares them with each other, and decides which are better for the blending process. It automatically traces and places them into a single photograph, matching the scene, and adding shadows. Of course, the results are less than perfect, but they are good enough:

The authors of the program—Tao Chen, Ming-Ming Cheng, Ping Tan, Ariel Shamir, and Shi-Min Hu at the Department of Computer Science and Technology, Tsinghua University, and the National University of Singapure—presented it at Siggraph Asia 2009. An event that will be remembered forever in the History of Humanity as the day in which a million of dorks were finally able to put themselves in X-rated positions with Megan Fox. [PhotoSketch—Thanks Brice]

HP Envy 13 review

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/05/hp-envy-13-review/

In more ways than one, the HP Envy 13 seems like a "new generation" of PC laptop for HP or even the industry. Intentional or not it bears more in resemblance with Apple's lineup than its own predecessors, it's part of the very first wave of computers with Windows 7 pre-installed, it places a large emphasis on battery life but still manages great performance, and it's a "luxury" PC that actually provides some pretty good excuses for its inflated pricetag. We've spent a nice solid week with the laptop, so find out if the Envy 13 can live up to its promise after the break.

Continue reading HP Envy 13 review

Filed under: Laptops

HP Envy 13 review originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 05 Oct 2009 15:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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QNAP debuts 'low cost' TS-410 Turbo NAS for home use

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/05/qnap-debuts-low-cost-ts-410-turbo-nas-for-home-use/

QNAP's various NAS devices may not do much to distinguish themselves from one another based on appearances, but the company's apparently hoping that's its new TS-410 model will attract a bit more interest nonetheless, and its aiming it squarely at home and home office users. Helping it in that respect is its relatively low-cost price tag, "just" $449 (sans hard drives), which still gets you plenty of NAS-ness, even if it may be just slightly behind the latest and greatest. That includes a less powerful 800MHz Marvell processor instead of the increasingly common Atom, and a mere 256MB of DDR2 RAM, which is a good deal short of the 1GB or 2GB offered in some of QNAP's higher-end options. Of course, you will still get support for up to four 2.5-inch or 3.5-inch hard drives, a full range of RAID options, and four USB ports and 2 e-SATA ports for further expansion. Sound good enough? Then you can pick this one up right now.

Filed under: Storage, Networking

QNAP debuts 'low cost' TS-410 Turbo NAS for home use originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 05 Oct 2009 15:54:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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HTC Dragon Android device surfaces in firmware build, could pack 1GHz processor

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/05/htc-dragon-android-device-surfaces-in-firmware-build-could-pack/

This one's about as early as it gets, but what you're looking at above is purported to be a screenshot of a firmware build for a hereto unheard of Android device called the HTC Dragon. Now, that's interesting enough in and of itself, but the real kicker is that the phone is said to pack a 1GHz processor (most likely Snapdragon), which should help make HTC's Sense UI snappier than ever -- the rumored 800 x 480 display certainly doesn't hurt things either. Not much more to go on than that, unfortunately, but you can check out a few more exciting screenshots at the link below.

[Via HTCPedia]

Filed under: Cellphones

HTC Dragon Android device surfaces in firmware build, could pack 1GHz processor originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 05 Oct 2009 17:24:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Adobe lets you use Flash to create... non-Flash apps for the iPhone

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/05/adobe-lets-you-use-flash-to-create-non-flash-apps-for-the-iph/

Notably (or not so notably) absent from this week's mobile announcements out of Adobe's Flash camp is the iPhone, a platform that many want to see pick up official Flash support for a number of totally valid reasons -- but realistically, the gap between Adobe's stance and Apple's stance on the subject seems no closer than it did in 2007. The solution? Let developers make Flash apps for the iPhone and convert 'em over to native code prior to submission to the App Store. Of course, this effectively means that there's nothing "Flash app" about these Flash apps, but if nothing else, it lets devs apply their existing knowledge and code libraries in a way that'll make Apple happy and get real, native apps out to users without the muss and fuss of a manual port. The apps look pretty cheesy compared to most purpose-suited iPhone apps, but skeptics should note that there are already 8 apps live in the App Store that were compiled this way -- Adobe boasts that it's a 100 percent acceptance rate so far -- and the Flash CS5 dev environment required to make it happen should be available as a public beta "later this year." Pretty cool, but no, seriously... how about real Flash, Apple?

Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds, Software

Adobe lets you use Flash to create... non-Flash apps for the iPhone originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 05 Oct 2009 18:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds! .

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HP Mini 311 with ION benchmarked: it goes very fast

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/05/hp-mini-311-with-ion-benchmarked-it-goes-very-fast/

We've already seen the NVIDIA ION-based HP Mini 311 perform impressively during demos, but now that the netbook is hitting reviewers it's time for some real benchmarks -- and according to the crew at Laptop, they're more than solid. The 311 scored a 1,917 on the PCMark 05 test, almost 500 points above the average netbook, and put up a scorching 1,386 in the 3DMark06 test -- 1,200 points over the netbook average, and basically the same score as a MacBook Air. That's not too surprising, seeing as ION is just a netbook-oriented variant of the GeForce 9400M, but it's still rather impressive -- and combined with 1080p video playback, the potential for some light gaming, and (eventually) ION-accelerated Flash, we'd say the Mini 311 is looking like a real contender.

Filed under: Laptops

HP Mini 311 with ION benchmarked: it goes very fast originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 05 Oct 2009 19:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Netbook Linux Guide Lets You Easily Kick Windows XP To The Curb [Linux]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/10BpXCn0S94/netbook-linux-guide-lets-you-easily-kick-windows-xp-to-the-curb

Sometimes I think if I see another blue sky, green grass background on a netbook I am going to throw it out the window. Maximum PC is ridding my Windows XP blues with a guide to lightweight netbook computing.

They have rounded up some of the best Linux netbook solutions, including Easy Peasy and Eeebuntu. I'm a big fan of the latter and used it for quite a bit of time on my MSI Wind U100. The nice thing about the guide is that it provides step by step instructions on how to load the new OS on along with productivity software alternatives.

Left from the roundup is Moblin 2.1. I have been testing it out for the last few days and will post my impressions soon. In the meantime, if you are also suffering from Win XP sickness try one of these penguin-friendly options or you could always check out our Hackintosh guide. [Maximum PC]

Netgear RangeMax WNR3500L Wireless-N Router Packs USB, Linux Punch [Netgear]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/HR2uDptjlkU/netgear-rangemax-wnr3500l-wireless+n-router-packs-usb-linux-punch

If you haven't upgraded to wireless-N yet, now is a great time. The spec is finally ratified and Netgear is celebrating by dropping the WNR3500L with USB networking and pre-loaded Linux for open source tinkerers.

Indeed, having Linux on the RangeMax right from the start means you can load unofficial firmware on the router out of the box. And the USB port means you can also set it up as a media server. Other features include a a 480MHz MIPS processor with 8MB of flash and 64MB of RAM. Expect the WNR3500L to ship sometime this fall for $140. [Netgear via Electronista]

HYPOLED develops mega-tiny VGA projector display, has a tiny coin in the photo to prove it

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/05/hypoled-develops-mega-tiny-vga-projector-display-has-a-penny-in/

HYPOLED, an 18-month-old project tasked with creating OLED microdisplays for upcoming pico projectors, has just released a report of its recent progress. Among the advances is a Fraunhofer IPMS-designed all digital VGA, full color OLED microdisplay backplane with matching pico projector optics. The display measures just 0.18-mm thick and is already in prototype manufacturing. The super miniscule display is connected to a MediaBox enabling it to operate via WiFi. Fraunhofer is now expected to begin developing a prototype of the full projector, meaning that with any luck, our picos should be getting a teensy, tiny bit cooler in the near future.

[Via About Projectors]

Filed under: Displays

HYPOLED develops mega-tiny VGA projector display, has a tiny coin in the photo to prove it originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 05 Oct 2009 10:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Motorola Sholes to launch by holidays, along with the BlackBerry Storm 2 and Nokia Booklet 3G

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/05/motorola-sholes-to-launch-by-holidays-along-with-the-blackberry/

Well well, it looks like the Android-powered Motorola Sholes will be out on Verizon by the holidays. That's at least the impression we're getting from a bunch of leaked Verizon retailer documents posted up by Boy Genius Report, which also indicate the BlackBerry Storm 2, Curve 2 and LG Chocolate Touch will hit Big Red in time for eggnog, along with an unspecified netbook -- we're guessing this Gateway number. Speaking of netbooks, a similar document from Best Buy Mobile also leaked over the weekend, and it looks like the Nokia Booklet 3G will be exclusive to Best Buy and compatible with AT&T 3G. Oh, and the Pixi is coming, but you already knew that. Here's the real mystery, though: "There are multiple Android launches across multiple carriers, along with some new technology that doesn't exist today." That's certainly open for interpretation, so we leave it to you -- is Best Buy Mobile about to start selling teleporters, or what?

Read - Sam's Club and Target Verizon docs
Read - Best Buy Mobile docs

Filed under: Cellphones

Motorola Sholes to launch by holidays, along with the BlackBerry Storm 2 and Nokia Booklet 3G originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 05 Oct 2009 12:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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