Friday, February 10, 2012

Will New Apple Displays Optimize Themselves According to Surroundings? [Rumors]

Source: http://gizmodo.com/5883974/will-new-apple-displays-optimize-themselves-according-to-surroundings

Will New Apple Displays Optimize Themselves According to Surroundings?Apple's most recent screen successes have centered around the Retina display. But a new patent suggests that Apple has been working on displays that can react to their surroundings to dynamically improve the viewing experience.

According to Patently Apple, the company has filed a patent for a mobile display that uses the sensors aboard devices like the iPhone and iPad to understand the world around it. The patent suggests that the "physical and lighting properties of the user's environment" could be used to provide "a more interesting and visually appealing" display.

The patent goes on to suggest that devices could monitor factors like ambient light, as well as the position of the user's eyes, to generate dynamic shadows on their screens. Those shadows could be used to either make the entire display more clear, or even to spotlight what the users is looking at or add perspective to images. The patent also makes it clear that this could be implemented on desktop and laptop displays, too.

It sounds like the kind of thing that anyone who has ever used a laptop or iPad outside would jump at. Anti-glare covers exist, sure, but in my experience they don't really work. This, on the other hand, could mean I spend a lot more time working from my garden. [FPO via Patently Apple; Image: Ed Yourdon]

Read More...

Hacker spites Symantec, puts pcAnywhere's source code out in the open

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/02/09/hacker-spites-symantec-puts-pcanywheres-source-code-out-in-the/

Hacker releases Symantec pcAnywhere's source code out in the open
Symantec said that folks running its pcAnywhere utility were at an "increased risk" when it revealed that the company had been hacked and its source codes pilfered, and advised customers to stop using pcAnywhere for the time being. Sage advice, as a hacker with the handle YamaTough -- who's affiliated with Anonymous -- helped do the deed and has now published the code for all the world to see. Apparently, the hacker and hackee had attempted to broker a deal for $50,000 to keep the code private, but neither side negotiated in good faith -- YamaTough always intended to release the code, and law enforcement was doing the talking for Symantec to catch him and his hacking cohorts. The good news is, Symantec has released several patches to protect pcAnywhere users going forward. As for the stolen code for Norton Antivirus, Internet Security and other Symantec software? Well, the company's expecting it to be disclosed, too, but because the code is from 2006, customers with current versions can rest easy.

Hacker spites Symantec, puts pcAnywhere's source code out in the open originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 09 Feb 2012 09:24:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink CNET  |  sourceReuters  | Email this | Comments

Read More...

Super Bowl internet debut breaks records, disappoints some viewers

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/02/09/super-bowl-internet-debut-breaks-records-disappoints-some-viewe/

Super Bowl stream on NBCSports.com
Not sure what this says about the state of streaming video online, but while the first live internet stream of the Super Bowl was watched by a record 2.1 million unique viewers, it didn't receive glowing reviews. The best indicator, though, is that the engagement for the three (plus) hour event was only 39 minutes. We think the folks over at Streaming Media got it right when they called it the Super Bowl Streaming Fail. It was bad enough that only Verizon Wireless customers could watch it on anything other than a laptop, but even those who could see it were left searching for a TV once they saw the quality. Big sports fans who might've been checking it out for the additional commentary and camera angles were also left wanting more, as the stream was plagued with lag. This meant that the other angle you were in search of was as much as a minute behind the big screen. Ultimately, we're sure everyone's glad the Super Bowl was extended to the smaller screens, but one thing sure seems true, broadcasting an event like this to millions of people is unlikely to ever be replaced by unicast internet streams.

Super Bowl internet debut breaks records, disappoints some viewers originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 09 Feb 2012 11:11:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceNFL Communications  | Email this | Comments

Read More...

Lytro Light Field Camera's guts get spilled on the FCC's dancefloor

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/02/09/lytro-fcc/

Lytro Light Field Camera's guts get spilled on the FCC's dancefloor
There's a scene in Robocop 2, where our eponymous hero is set-to with an angle grinder and dumped in pieces outside the Detroit Police station. Now replace the cybernetic Alex Murphy with the Lytro Light Field camera and you'll know what was found on the sidewalk opposite from the FCC's concrete bunker this morning. Interesting tidbits revealed in the government-sponsored autopsy included a questionably small Zoran imaging chip and Marvell Avastar W8787 wireless SoC -- but the company's already swiftly denied it'll have WiFi capability. Still, the infinite-focus device is certainly on for that early 2012 launch date if it's passed through the FCC without derision. We like to treat you right, dear readers, so below you'll find a cornucopia of galleries to hunt through before these units arrive in your hands. What do you think? Should we equip all our staffers with Lytro cameras for our future hands-ons?


Lytro Light Field Camera's guts get spilled on the FCC's dancefloor originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 09 Feb 2012 11:35:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink The Verge, Tech Crunch  |  sourceFCC  | Email this | Comments

Read More...

Sigma DP1, DP2 get 46-megapixel makeover

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/02/09/sigma-dp1-dp2-get-46-megapixel-makeover/

If Nikon thought its 36-megapixel D800 would be the king of the resolutions this week, they were wrong. Sigma, it seems, didn't get the memo and has crashed the party, updating its DP1 and DP2 compacts with whopping 46-megapixel sensors. Okay, so technically it's three 15.3 megapixel layers (that also being the effective resolution), but we'll play along with the marketing spin. Rebranded as the DP1- and DP2-Merrill in honor of the sensor's co-creator, the refresh sees the compacts sporting the same imaging innards as the firm's flagship SD1 Merrill SLR. The LCD screen also gets a bump from 2.5 to three inches, which, we suppose, is to do better justice to those massive pictures you'll be taking. Sigma's keeping price and availability under wraps for now, but hit the PR after the break for more info.

Continue reading Sigma DP1, DP2 get 46-megapixel makeover

Sigma DP1, DP2 get 46-megapixel makeover originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 09 Feb 2012 13:19:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Electronista  |   | Email this | Comments

Read More...