PanaCast brings panoramic HD video to conference calls in the palm of your hand for $599 (hands-on)

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/04/17/panacast-panoramic-hd-video-conferencing/

Video chats have become quite popular these days, whether you're using Facetime, Skype or are attending a Google Hangout. One problem with those platforms is that they provide a limited field of view and that view is static for attendees. PanaCast solves that problem with some unique hardware and software that provides a 200 degree FOV and a virtualized camera for each viewer. Its camera has six imagers, an SoC with dual ARM11 cores and a custom-built multi-imaging video processor (MIVP), along with an Ethernet port and a USB 2.0 port.

The MIVP, with an assist from some custom firmware, stitches all of the input images together to form a single 2700 x 540 video stream. That feed has enterprise-grade encryption and can run at up to 60fps over faster connections, but streams lower framerates over 3G as well. It works over the open internet and streams using a high-speed codec developed by Cavium Networks that needs only 350kb of bandwidth to function. After you're done perusing our gallery below, join us after the break to learn more about how the PanaCast system works.

Gallery: PanaCast panoramic HD video conferencing camera hands-on

Filed under: Cameras, Mobile

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Source: Altia Systems

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LG's curved OLED displays to arrive in the second half of 2013

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/04/17/lg-curved-oled-launch-second-half-of-2013/

Alongside its wafer-thin 4K TVs, LG's curved OLED display was another product that occupies a special place in our CES memories. Fortunate, then, that the product has taken a step away from vaporware, with the company's Vice President of Home Entertainment Europe, Thomas Lee, confirming that its "world-first" curved OLED TVs will launch in the second half of this year. Given the Korean firm's tendency to test new models closer to home, we'd suspect this would be a native launch, but given that the company's 55-inch OLED display made it into at least one store outside of Korea, we wouldn't count out seeing an overseas retail appearance soon after.

Filed under: Displays, HD, LG

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Lynx A 3D point-and-shoot camera/tablet does motion capture and 3D modeling, we go hands-on

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/04/17/lynx-a-3d-point-and-shoot-camera-tablet-hands-on/

Earlier this year, a group of enterprising students from the University of Texas unveiled the Lynx A 3D camera and asked for money to fund its construction on Kickstarter. Since then, they've soared past their funding goal of $50,000, and are getting ready to ship out their first set of cameras. Today at DEMO Mobile SF, we finally got to see a prototype unit for ourselves and watch it scan someone's head in real-time. For the uninitiated, the Lynx A is billed as a point-and-shoot 3D camera that uses Kinect-esque hardware to obtain depth mapping and imaging info from your surroundings. Using GPU computing power and some custom code, it turns that data into 3D scene and object models or motion capture, and it displays the finished models on its 14-inch screen a minute or two after it's finished recording -- all for $1,799.

The Lynx A we witnessed working in person today was a prototype unit, so fit and finish were far from being retail ready, as wide gaps and exposed screws abounded. Lynx assured us that the units going out to its backers will not only have a more polished appearance, but also be six times more accurate and 30 percent smaller due to newer hardware components. Despite the prototype's rough appearance, the modeling process went off without a hitch. It was able to scan 2/3 of a human head in about a minute and within a couple minutes more it was displaying a 3D model ready to be manipulated and printed out by a Replicator or a Form 1. Don't believe us? See for yourself in the video after the break.

Gallery: Lynx A 3D camera/tablet hands-on

Filed under: Cameras, Tablets

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LinkedIn launches redesigned iOS, Android apps with a focus on the news stream

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/04/18/linkedin-launches-redesigned-ios-android-apps-with-a-focus-on-t/

Recent moves by LinkedIn -- including its acquisition of Pulse -- suggested its eye was towards becoming a center of its users universe for much more than simple networking or job hunting, and its latest mobile updates continue on that path. Updates arriving today on the iOS and Android platforms are redesigned for more "delightful interactions" throughout the app. That means a shift of focus to the news stream, including conversations, updates from your network and of course, advertisements. Check after the break for a quick video demo of the new features or hit the blog for a description -- whether it's enough to overtake Twitter, Facebook or something else for your social dashboard remains to be decided.

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile

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Source: LinkedIn, iTunes, Google Play

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WordPress 2.3 for Android gains Holo interface and menu drawer

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/04/18/wordpress-goes-to-holowood/

Bloggers have been getting plenty of love on Android as of late, and if WordPress happens to be your platform of choice, you'll be glad to know that your time in the sun has arrived. Similar to Tumblr's recent overhaul, WordPress was just updated with a new Holo interface, and it's really quite the looker. First and foremost, you'll notice that WordPress now looks like a proper Android app, complete with an action bar for tasks such as creating posts and sharing to other apps. With a flick of the thumb, you'll also notice a menu drawer that's accessible from the left-hand side, which replaces the old school dashboard interface that was found in previous versions of WordPress for Android. We can't say the new features will help you overcome writer's block, but at least you'll have something pretty to look at while you ponder your next great post.

Filed under: Software

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Source: WordPress

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