Ricoh unveils WG-4, WG-20 outdoor cameras aimed for the elements

 

 

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Ricoh unveils WG-4, WG-20 outdoor cameras aimed for the elements
2/5/2014 11:00:00 PM

Ricoh has taken the wraps off three new digital compact cameras aimed to go just about anywhere, ahead of the CP+ photo show in Japan.

The WG-4 is being released in both a non-GPS and GPS model, replacing the WG-3 released in 2013. The new version not only adds updated features but brings a brand change from Pentax to Ricoh. 

The WG-4 features waterproof performance of up to 14 metres and shock resistant drops from two metres. It features the same 16-megapixel image sensor with a top sensitivity of ISO 6400 and a 25-100mm f/2-4.9 lens as the previous version, but it's claimed to have faster AF operation in macro shooting, improved image quality in underwater shooting, and the addition of a user mode that recalls your favourite settings.

There's a 3-inch LCD monitor to playback photos and videos, and it can even tilt 170 degrees horizontally and vertically, making it possible to check an image from different angles.

The WG-4 GPS version boasts an advanced GPS unit to record a travel log of captured images. There's also a pressure, altitude, and depth gauge and a digital compass, perfect for the outdoor shooting the WG-4 is designed for.

In March, Ricoh will make the WG-4 available in silver and yellow for £279.99. The WG-4 GPS will be available in black and blue for £329.99.

Ricoh also showed off the WG-20, an upgrade from the WG-10 released in 2013. It features a waterproof and crush-resistant build of up to 10 metres deep for up to two continuous hours. 

As for photo functionality, the WG-10 carries a 28-140mm lens and a 14-megapixel sensor capable of recording video in 720P. There's also a 2.7-inch LCD display for playback, and Ricoh is touting an anti-reflection coat said to be perfect for the outdoors. 

The WG-10 will be available in February for £199 in black, red, and white colour options. A number of accessories will be offered for all three outdoor cameras, including: an adhesive mount, handlebar mount, suction cup mount, and a shoulder strap to attach the camera to your body.

 

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Samsung's Galaxy S5 event reportedly won't be theatrical like years past

 

 

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Samsung's Galaxy S5 event reportedly won't be theatrical like years past
2/5/2014 11:29:00 PM

When Samsung debuted its Galaxy S4 in March 2013, it used a large event at the Radio City Music Hall in New York with actors showing off the phone's features. It was a Broadway performance. 

But the company isn't planning a lot of singing or dancing when it unveils the Galaxy S5 later this month, according to the New York Times. It's a surprising move, especially given Samsung's flagship launch events in the past. 

When Samsung takes the stage at Mobile World Congress in late-February, it will hold a low-key event. It'll be the usual type of event we've come to know from device manufacturers, according to the publication. Samsung will allegedly match the mood of the trade show by going over the handset's specifications and design with executives rather than actors. 

Samsung's events in the past have been considered rather gimmicky. For instance when it unveiled the Galaxy S3 in 2012, Samsung described it as being inspired by elements of the Earth.

The Galaxy S5 could signal a new Samsung that wants to be taken more seriously. Reports have noted the company has made its TouchWiz software more mature, ditching the gimmicks like eye scanning and going for a more sophisticated and flat user interface. Now it will have a more serious event to match. 

Samsung sent invitations to media members on Monday, confirming its first Unpacked event of 2014 will be held on 24 February. The invited contained the number five, hinting the Galaxy S5 flagship smartphone may be revealed. There was some speculation that Samsung was going to ditch the Galaxy S5 naming for the flagship, but The New York Times reports it will be called the Galaxy S5.

We've contacted Samsung to learn more.

 

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Are these HTC M8 leaked photos the real deal? Regardless it looks good

 

 

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Are these HTC M8 leaked photos the real deal? Regardless it looks good
2/6/2014 12:50:00 AM

Russian website Mobiltelfon.ru claims to have a pair of photos showing off HTC's next-generation flagship handset, codenamed the HTC M8.

The photos gel well with leaks that have claimed there won't be many changes to the new handset over the original HTC One. It has a similar body to first version, but it does show on-screen buttons rather than capacitive buttons rumoured in the past. 

As with all leaks that claim to show next-generation handsets, we advise you take Wednesday's leak with a grain of salt. For one, one photo shows the on-screen buttons and the other doesn't. Would HTC really make them hidable? We doubt it. 

Nonetheless, even if the photos are fake, they provide a look at what could be. The new version of the HTC One is now believed to be unveiled in New York at an event in late-March (not Mobile World Congress in February like originally thought). 

The HTC M8 is said to feature a 5-inch 1080p display, 2.3GHz quad-core Snapdragon 800 processor with 2GB of RAM, 16GB of storage, a bigger 2900mAh battery, microSD slot for expandable storage, Android 4.4 KitKat, and Sense 6.

A leak on Wednesday morning also showed two cameras on the back, perhaps allowing HTC to offer some Lytro-esque effects. This would let you refocus the image after it was shot.

What do you think of the HTC M8 shown in the alleged leak? Would you buy the handset?

 

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Motorola schedules 25 February event at MWC 2014

 

 

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Motorola schedules 25 February event at MWC 2014
2/5/2014 11:44:00 PM

Soon to be Lenovo-owned Motorola has announced it will be holding a 25 February media event at Mobile World Congress 2014 in Barcelona. 

The invitation is light on details, and doesn't indicate if Motorola has new hardware to show at the mobile-focused trade show. 

However, there is word that Motorola CEO Dennis Woodside will attend the event with an "update on the business". We'll go ahead and presume Motorola will be talking specifics about being purchased from Google by Lenovo.

Read: Interview with Motorola's CEO Dennis Woodside

Lenovo gave us a precursor to what it expects from Motorola last week. The Motorola brand will be used in North America, Latin America and Europe for smartphones, and the Lenovo brand will be used in China and emerging markets. Lenovo wouldn't say for sure if the majority of Motorola manufacturing would stay in the US, and said it would look at what's most effective. 

Pocket-lint will be live from the trade show to bring you the latest. You bet we're hoping Woodside takes the wraps off a new handset, but we assume it's going to be a mostly business-oriented event with an update on Motorola's future. 

We've contacted Motorola in hopes of learning more.

 

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Ask Google's Search app if you need an umbrella to get the latest weather report

 

 

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Ask Google's Search app if you need an umbrella to get the latest weather report
2/6/2014 12:44:00 AM

The Google Search app is now more weather-savvy than ever before, thanks to a new feature that allows you to get up-to-the-minute local conditions and even forecast data.

In response to National Weatherperson's Day in the US, an obscure holiday that recognises individuals in the fields of meteorology and weather forecasting, Google has revealed some weather-savvy tricks buried in the Google Search app.

So, instead of looking at some weather app or searching for local weather forecasts on Google, you can just use the Google Search app. For instance, ask Google's app the following questions: "Will I need an umbrella tomorrow?" or "Is it going to snow this weekend?" You can even ask "What will the weather be like in Miami this Saturday?"

All of these voice-enabled questions will serve up the exact information you want directly within Google Search. Neat, right?

READ: Google Search for iOS update: US iPhone users can say 'OK, Google' to go hands-free

It's not clear if this weather feature is new or just being announced, but it's still noteworthy. Google also didn't specify which platform version of the Google Search app now has this capability, though it appears both the iOS and Android apps support it.

 

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Google urges artists to get coding for Digital Revolution exhibit in London

 

 

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Google urges artists to get coding for Digital Revolution exhibit in London
2/5/2014 11:59:00 PM

Google is hardly new to the art scene. But its latest project, a partnership with Barbican (home of the London Symphony Orchestra), actually has it helping curate an exhibit of what it calls DevArt -- interactive installations built around technology. The internet giant wants artists to "give life to code, letting it spill from the screen and onto the canvas." That means everything from Kinects to typewriters are game (and we're confident there will be a healthy amount of the former) so long as the creator puts their considerable developer talents to work building something unique and beautiful. A handful of artists have already been commissioned to contribute, but Google is opening up submissions to the public. Wannabe developer artists can head to devart.withgoogle.com to pitch their project. The winner will receive a Google-funded budget of £25,000 to realize their vision, which will ultimately be shown at the Barbican, where millions of tourists and art lovers will see their creations.

The commissioned artists, Karsten Schmidt, Zach Lieberman, and duo Varvara Guljajeva and Mar Canet, will be documenting the birth of their new works. So, if you're in need of inspiration ahead of the March 28th deadline, you can follow along as these four delve into their own creative processes. In the meantime we'll be taking bets on how many Arduinos make it into the final exhibit. (I'm guessing 37.)

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Chrome apps may soon run without any trace of the web browser

 

 

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Chrome apps may soon run without any trace of the web browser
2/5/2014 10:46:00 PM

Chrome web apps may behave like native software at times, but they still require some form of the Chrome browser to run -- even if it's just a basic process. They may not need that component for much longer, though. The Next Web has discovered a batch of experimental code for an "App Shell" that would include only those Chrome elements that are absolutely necessary. In theory, you'd get lightweight, browser-independent web apps that still have the advantages of native code. The company isn't saying whether or not its new technology will reach the public. Given Google's efforts to package web apps for mobile without requiring Chrome, however, it wouldn't be surprising if App Shell gets a formal release.

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A bionic arm and a nerve implant give one amputee a sense of touch

 

 

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A bionic arm and a nerve implant give one amputee a sense of touch
2/5/2014 11:23:00 PM

Nothing can quite undo the trauma of losing a limb, but a team of EU researchers has been trying to help by bringing sense to senseless prostheses. They're doing pretty well at it too: they recently spent a full month giving one lucky test subject some of his sense of touch back. A series of electrodes were implanted into the two main nerve bundles in test subject Dennis Sørensen's left upper arm, where they were left for 31 days. Sørensen was then fitted with a special sensor-laden prosthetic hand, and algorithms chewed on the data from those sensors to determine just how to stimulate those nerves.

Before Sørensen knew it, bzzzt! That sensory data was converted into nerve impulses so Sørensen could "feel" those objects in real-time. Not only he could discern the different shapes of objects he picked up, he could get a sense of what they were made of too. Unsurprisingly, Sørensen -- who lost his left hand in a fireworks accident nine years ago -- is itching to use one full time. We're still a long way off from portable models that don't require support from a lab, but there's plenty of interest (not to mention progress) in crafting a new generation of sensitive prosthetics.

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DARPA taps IBM to help create self-destructing gizmos for the battlefield

 

 

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DARPA taps IBM to help create self-destructing gizmos for the battlefield
2/6/2014 12:43:00 AM

When you look at DARPA's newest project, it almost feels like the agency's recent breakthroughs have left it a little drained, creatively. The government's research wing has announced that IBM is helping it create non-incendiary self-destructing devices for use in the field. Yawn. The new VAPR (Vanishing Programmable Resources) program would use a CMOS sensor attached to a piece of glass that, when triggered by an RF-signal, would shatter on command and destroy the sensor in the process. As the outfit tells it, this would ensure that these "transient electronics" -- such as sensors for monitoring an area for a specific time-period -- don't fall into the wrong hands and give away classified information. These sound pretty handy to be sure, but they aren't nearly as cool as robo-beetles.

[Image credit: Kenno_mcdonnell/Flickr]

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