NYTimes Pays a Visit to Our Friend, the Amazing GIF Machine

Source: http://gizmodo.com/5991476/the-insane-one+man-computer-station-needed-to-cover-march-madness/1449955749/@marioaguilar

Regular readers of our sister blog Deadspin are probably familiar with editor Tim Burke's incredible GIFing skills. What you might not know is that Burke never misses a moment because he built an incredible eight-monitor computer station that can keep track of every sporting event that's happening at a given time. Today, the NYTimes has a nice profile of Burke. While we highly recommend you go check it out. We do have one quibble with The Grey Lady's story: It's pronounced "GIF" not "JIF."

Read more...

Read More...

Summary only...

Nokia's Refocus Lens camera app promises infinite depth of field control

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/10/22/nokias-refocus-lens-camera-app/

Nokia's just announced a new camera app called Refocus Lens at Nokia World that brings a Lytro-like variable depth of field to Lumia cameras. Likely to be the fruits of that Scalado purchase from a while back, it'll let you change the focus of a snapshot using "clever algorithms" while adding "brilliant splashes of color" to images via a feature called "color pop." Nokia also said that images will be 5-megapixels in size and that you'll be able to use the refocusing option while in Facebook. The app will debut on the Finnish company's new flagship Lumia 1520 and trickle down at a later date to older devices like the Lumia 920 and 925. However, Nokia hasn't decided if the app will be available for lower-numbered Lumias like the 520 and 620 -- or any other Windows Phone devices, for that matter. We're still finding out more details from Nokia, so stay tuned!

Update: Nokia is now showing a dedicated Refocus site with a sample photo to play with. It's a larger image than we're used to seeing with the likes of Lytro and seems quite responsive.

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Nokia

Comments

Read More...

Summary only...

ROCCAT's Power-Grid enters open beta, turns phones into PC control centers (video)

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/10/22/roccat-launches-power-grid-open-beta/

ROCCAT's Power-Grid has been slow in coming -- the smartphone-based PC assistant was originally supposed to launch last December. Nonetheless, gamers will be glad to hear that it's finally available to the public through an open beta. Both Android and iOS users can now control and monitor Windows PC activities of all kinds from their mobile device's screen, whether they're triggering StarCraft II keyboard macros or tracking CPU workloads. Demanding gamers can also create command screens and share them with others. ROCCAT doesn't yet know when it will stop the Power-Grid beta, but it does promise a slew of supporting accessories in 2014. Curious players can check out a feature video below before grabbing the app for free at the source link.

Filed under: Cellphones, Gaming

Comments

Source: ROCCAT

Read More...

Summary only...

Nokia Unveils Its First Ever Windows Tablet, The Lumia 2520

Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/nokia-lumia-2520-tablet-2013-10

Nokia announced today its first ever Windows tablet, the Lumia 2520. 

The 10.1-inch tablet runs Windows RT 8.1, a special version of Windows 8 that's only designed to run on tablets and compete with Google's Android and Apple's iOS.

Unlike tablets that have the full version of Windows 8, the Lumia 2520 will only be able to run apps optimized for the new operating system. You won't be able to run older apps designed for Windows 7 or earlier.

The Lumia 2520 is an interesting product, not because it's the first Windows tablet from Nokia, but because it competes with Microsoft's own Surface 2 tablet, which just went on sale this month. Microsoft is in the process of buying Nokia's mobile device business for about $7 billion. If and when the sale goes through, Microsoft will be selling two different tablets that essentially compete with each other.

Just like the Surface 2, the Lumia 2520 has an optional snap-on keyboard cover accessory. The keyboard cover also has a built in battery, which will give you an extra five hours of juice.

But unlike the Surface tablets, Nokia's Lumia 2520 can connect to the Internet using a 4G LTE connection from your wireless carrier. Nokia has not announced what carriers will support the tablet though.

There's more. The Lumia 2520's screen can play full 1080p HD video and is designed to work well even in direct sunlight. It also has a 6.7 MP camera on the back for snapping photos and a 2 MP HD camera on the front for video chats. It'll come in three color options: red, white, blue, or black. It'll ship with Microsoft Office preinstalled.

Nokia did not say when the tablet will launch nor how much it will cost. Expect that information to come along in a few weeks.

Join the conversation about this story »

Read More...

Summary only...

Here's The World's First Giant-Screen Windows Phone, The Nokia Lumia 1520

Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/nokia-lumia-1520-phablet-2013-10

Nokia announced today the world's first giant-sized Windows Phone, the Lumia 1520.

The Lumia 1520 will have a 6-inch screen, which makes the phone's display a full inch larger than Samsung's Galaxy S4 and two inches larger than Apple's iPhone 5S.

It's also the first phone to take advantage of the newest version of Microsoft's Windows Phone 8 software, which has been designed to work on giant "phablets" (part phone, part tablet).  

The newest version of Windows Phone 8 has a few other tweaks like improved multitasking and a driving mode that limits the notifications you receive while in the car. You can learn more about the newest version of Windows Phone 8 right here.

Like most of Nokia's recent Lumia phones, there will be a lot of focus on the camera. The Lumia 1520 will have a 20 megapixel camera plus a dual flash for better lighting in low-light settings. Many agree that Nokia's phones take the best photos, and this device should be no exception.

Other than that, there aren't many surprises. The Lumia 1520 can do just about everything else other Windows Phone 8 devices can do. It just gives you a bigger screen to do it all on.

No word on pricing or launch date, but Nokia says the Lumia 1520 will be available in the U.S. this year.

Join the conversation about this story »

Read More...

Summary only...