CrunchGear |  |
- Panasonic To Make, Sell More Cameras
- Daily Crunch: Pinpoint Edition
- RD-R2: JVC’s Portable Audio Recorder Targets Street Musicians
- Fujifilm’s Anti-Counterfeiting Watermarks Are Just Cool-Looking
- Atrix Keyboard-Screen Dock Could Cost As Little As $150
- Further Leaks Show Off Potential Interface, Specs For HP’s webOS Tablet
- Kinect + Minecraft = Full-Motion 3D Statues
- 3G Nook Discontinued, Lack Of Demand Blamed
- 8-Bit Funding: Kickstarter For Indie Games
- Nintendo Clarifies Some 3DS Questions, Stonewalls Others In Interview
- Review: Zoom Q3HD Camcorder
- Meet The Satarii Star, The Crowdfunded iPhone Accessory Of Every Blogger’s Dreams
- Zuckerberg, Doerr and More on How the iPad Has Changed Everything (TCTV)
- CrunchGear Pre-Valentine’s Day Gift Guide: Picking A Cool, Cheap Watch
- iPhone Moe Book: This Is How It’s Done, Fanboys
- Digital Storm New Enix Desktop Has A Sandy Bridge With 4.7GHz
- DC Universe Online: So Popular They Can’t Keep It On Store Shelves
- This TMNT Fan-Made Movie Trailer Proves The World Still Loves The Turtles
- Murch And Ebert’s Misguided Malignment Of 3D
- How The Glif Got Made: From Design To Sales In Five Months
| Panasonic To Make, Sell More Cameras Posted: 25 Jan 2011 05:37 AM PST
They will attempt to distribute these cameras for as long as they’re salable and then make new ones. Eventually they will end up on Woot.com. Then they will poison a landfill.
PANASONIC INTRODUCES STYLISH AND ULTRA-COMPACT LUMIX FX78 DIGITAL CAMERA WITH FULL-HD VIDEO CAPABILITIES The LUMIX FX78 Features a F2.5 Super-Bright 24mm Ultra-Wide-Angle Leica Lens for Superb Photo and Video Quality and a Large 3.5-inch Smart Touch LCD for Intuitive Operation SECAUCUS, NJ (January 25, 2011) – Panasonic today expands its LUMIX FX-Series of stylish and compact digital cameras, with the LUMIX FX78, which features a new Smart Touch operation on the large 3.5-inch 16:9 aspect LCD, allowing for intuitive touch operation, including Touch AF, Touch Zoom, Touch Shutter, and Touch Playback. The LUMIX FX78 also incorporates a new LEICA DC VARIO-SUMMARIT, 24mm ultra-wide angle lens that has a 5x optical zoom with F2.5 aperture. The 24mm wide-angle lens offers approximately 213% larger viewing space when compared to a traditional 35mm camera. This high-performing lens has been designed to fit the slim body while still offering exceptional photo and video quality. With its wide and bright lens, the LUMIX FX78 excels when shooting dynamic landscapes and in low-lit situations. The LUMIX FX78′s Smart Touch Screen allows for the Auto Focus (AF) to be set by simply touching the subject on the LCD and a touch can even release the shutter. Once locked on the subject, the LUMIX FX78 tracks the subject with the AF tracking function even if it moves. With the Intelligent Scene Selector in the iA mode, the FX78 automatically switches to the appropriate mode according to the subject touched. For example, a touch on a human face switches to the portrait mode, and a touch on the background or a landscape changes to the Scenery mode, while a touch on the subject close in the foreground changes to Macro mode. All menu settings are now available with touch control. The touch-screen operation excels not only for shooting, but also in playback, allowing the user to drag the images across the screen with a finger and browse the collection of photos as though flipping the pages of the book. “With its super-bright and wide-angle lens, the LUMIX FX78 is a high-performing digital camera that excels in image quality, producing exceptional full-HD videos and still photos,” said David Briganti, Senior Product Manager, Imaging, Panasonic Consumer Electronics Company. “With the new touch-screen operation, the FX78 is intuitive to use and allows the user to take a photo, track a subject and even touch-up a face with just the touch of the finger.” The LUMIX FX78 also features the Panasonic 3D Photo mode, which produces a realistic 3D photo by taking 20 consecutive photos and overlaying the two best to create a 3D image that can then be played on a Panasonic VIERA 3D HDTV. The format of 3D images is compatible with MPO, and can also be played back on other MPO-compatible equipment such as a televisions, digital photo frames and printers. Panasonic also adds the LUMIX Image Uploader, for seamless and instant sharing via Facebook (for digital photos) or YouTube (for videos). Users can checkmark the photo or video files they want to share, connect the camera to a PC with the included USB cable or by inserting the SD Memory Card directly into the PC’s SD Card slot, and then the uploading automatically launches with an easy-to-follow menu option. Incorporating a newly developed 12.1-megapixel Hi-Speed CCD sensor, the DMC-LUMIX FX78 is compatible with high-speed, large-capacity signal processing required for 1920 x 1080 full-HD video recording in AVCHD and high speed continuous shooting. The AVCHD format almost doubles the recording time in HD quality, when compared with the conventional Motion JPEG. The LUMIX FX78 also boasts Dolby Dolby® Digital Creator to record high quality audio. The advanced image processing LSI, the Venus Engine FHD, assures high picture quality in both photo and movie recording. It also incorporates the Intelligent Resolution technology to perform the optimum signal processing to give the entire image outstandingly natural clearness with fine details. The LUMIX FX78′s 5x optical zoom is available when shooting video. Thanks to the Intelligent Resolution technology, the Intelligent Zoom is available with the LUMIX FX78 which extends the zoom ratio by approximately 1.3x maintaining the picture quality and extending it to a 6.5x zoom equivalent. The Sonic Speed AF, which gains approximately 33% higher speed compared with its predecessor DMC-FX75, has a quick shutter release time lag as short as approximately 0.005 second. The LUMIX FX78 is not only a high-performing digital camera when it concerns image quality, but it also includes a host of entertaining features that brings photography to a new level of fun with features such as Art Retouch and Beauty Retouch. The Art Retouch function lets the user change the original photo in brightness and color saturation. The Beauty Retouch mode allows users to digitally touch-up faces by applying different effects, such as skin texture, lifting up the face and whitening of teeth. In addition, the Make-up mode gives the user the option to change the face’s complexion, lips, cheeks or eye-shadow coloring. Panasonic’s iA Mode, a suite of technologies that engage automatically, has evolved for more powerful image stabilization while video recording and taking still photos with Active Mode which boosts MEGA OIS to excel in suppressing blur when recording videos at wide angle while walking. Other features of iA include: Motion Deblur, MEGA OIS, Face Recognition, Face Detection, AF Tracking, Intelligent ISO Control, Intelligent Scene Selector and Intelligent Exposure. With iA, taking beautiful photos is possible for users at any level. In addition, the Intelligent Resolution technology is always activated in the iA mode, which helps produce even clearer photos by precisely performing signal processing pixel by pixel to help ensure clear and sharp images. The LUMIX FX78 will be available in March 2011 in black, gold and white models and pricing will be announced approximately 30 days prior to shipping date. For more on these Panasonic LUMIX models, please visit www.panasonic.com/lumix. PANASONIC EXPANDS ITS POPULAR ZS-SERIES OF DIGITAL CAMERAS WITH ADDITIONAL ADVANCED FEATURES INCLUDING INTUITIVE TOUCH SCREEN CONTROL AND FULL HD VIDEO Panasonic LUMIX ZS10 Features a 24mm Ultra-Wide-Angle Leica Lens and a Powerful 16x Optical Zoom, 3D Photo Mode and Built-In GPS Functions SECAUCUS, NJ (January 25, 2011) – Panasonic today introduced the LUMIX DMC-ZS10 as the newest member of its acclaimed LUMIX ZS-Series of digital cameras that has won worldwide popularity for its versatile lens from ultra wide-angle to long zoom. The LUMIX ZS10 continues its versatility with a 24mm ultra-wide-angle and powerful 16x optical zoom LEICA DC VARIO-ELMAR lens – and it features full-High Definition 1920×1080 video recording capability, a newly-adopted large 3.0-inch, 460,000-dot Smart Touch Intelligent LCD – which allows for Touch Zoom, Touch Auto Focus (AF), Touch Shutter, and Touch Playback. The LUMIX ZS10 also features a built-in GPS (Global Positioning System) function allowing geotagged images to be pinpointed via online maps and easily shared with friends and families. “With the introduction of the LUMIX ZS10, Panasonic expects to continue to lead the market in long zoom digital cameras, as this very advanced digital camera not only offers a 16x optical zoom, but with an even wider 24mm Leica lens, this is a truly robust digital camera for both still photos and full HD 1080 videos,” said David Briganti, Senior Product Manager, Imaging, Panasonic Consumer Electronics Company. “With new features such as touch-screen operation and even a 3D photo mode, Panasonic continues to pack the ZS10 with innovative features for capturing high-quality photos and videos, which can be easily shared with family and friends using the new LUMIX Image Uploader feature.” The Panasonic LUMIX ZS10 also features the new Panasonic 3D Photo mode, which produces a realistic 3D photo by taking 20 consecutive photos and overlaying the two best images which provide a 3D image that can then be played on a Panasonic VIERA 3D HDTV. The format of the 3D image is compatible with MPO, and can also be played back on other MPO-compatible equipment such as a televisions, digital photo frame and printers. Panasonic also adds the LUMIX Image Uploader for seamless and instant sharing via Facebook (for digital photos) or YouTube (for videos). Users can checkmark the photo or video files they want to share, connect it to a PC with the included USB cable or by inserting the SD Memory Card directly into the PC’s SD Card slot, and then the uploading automatically launches with an easy-to-follow menu option. Using the touch-screen, once locked on the subject, the LUMIX ZS10 tracks the subject with the AF tracking function even if it moves. With the Intelligent Scene Selector in the iA mode, the LUMIX ZS10 automatically switches to the appropriate mode according to the subject touched. For example, a touch on a human face switches to the portrait mode and a touch on the background or a landscape changes to the Scenery mode, while a touch on the subject close in the foreground changes to Macro mode. All menu settings are now available with touch control. The touch-screen operation excels not only for shooting, but also in playback, allowing the user to drag the images across the screen with a finger and browse the collection of photos as though flipping the pages of a book. Newly adopted 14.1-megapixel MOS sensor and the advanced image processor Venus Engine FHD feature high speed, high sensitivity image recording to realize 1920×1080 full-HD movie recording and high speed burst shooting in high picture quality. It also compiles the Intelligent Resolution technology to perform optimum signal processing to give the entire image outstandingly natural clearness with fine details. The powerful 16x optical zoom – available while shooting videos – increases its power to 21x equivalent with the Intelligent Zoom function, taking advantage of Intelligent Resolution technology. The Sonic Speed AF also boasts approximately 49% higher speed compared to its LUMIX ZS7 predecessor. The LUMIX ZS10 shoots 10 fps in 14-megapixel full resolution with mechanical shutter and 5 fps with continuous AF. Even higher speed burst shooting is available with LUMIX ZS10 if the electronic shutter is used – 60 fps in 3.5-megapixel*1. The LUMIX ZS10 is an advanced photographic tool for recording not only great photos but also beautiful full-HD movies. In addition to Motion JPEG images, the LUMIX ZS10 can record high-resolution full-HD 1920×1080 60i videos in AVCHD (MPEG-4 / H.264)* format. The high frame rate of 60i excels in recording moving subjects with outstanding smoothness. The videos also come with the high-quality stereo sound of Dolby® Digital Stereo Creator, to offer highly realistic sound. Panasonic’s iA Mode, a suite of technologies that engage automatically, has evolved for more powerful image stabilization while video recording and taking still photos with Active Mode which boosts POWER OIS to excel in suppressing blur when recording videos at wide angle while walking. New iA features include the Intelligent Handheld Nightshot, which creates a beautiful night scenery with illumination by layering the images shot consecutively. Furthermore, the Intelligent Burst Shooting automatically sets the frame rate of burst shooting according to the subject’s movement – whether it moves fast or slow – utilizing the mechanism of Intelligent ISO Control. Other features of iA include: Motion Deblur, POWER OIS, Face Recognition, Face Detection, AF Tracking, Intelligent ISO Control, Intelligent Scene Selector and Intelligent Exposure. With iA, taking beautiful photos is possible for users at any skill level. In addition, the Intelligent Resolution technology is always activated in the iA mode, which helps produce even clearer photos by precisely performing signal processing, pixel by pixel, to help ensure clear and sharp images. The LUMIX ZS10 digital camera features a built-in GPS system which tags the location data where the photo was taken with its latitude and longitude automatically in the Exif data. Plus, the LUMIX ZS10 also shows the name of the Country/Region, State/Prov./County, County/Township, City/Town/Village and Landmark by using internal data to give users details on where the photos or videos were taken. The area information covers 203 countries or regions for global users. Plus, more than 1,000,000 landmarks over 78 countries or regions are in the database. Using the included software PHOTOfunSTUDIO 6.1 HD Lite Edition, photos and videos can be searched by location and names. The LUMIX ZS10 also features an internal clock that automatically adjusts to the local time when GPS is enabled – a handy feature for travelers. The LUMIX DMC-ZS8 was also added to the ZS-Series of cameras and maintains the versatile 24mm ultra-wide angle and powerful 16x optical zoom LEICA DC VARIO-ELMAR lens. Other features include: The LUMIX ZS10 and ZS8 will be available in March 2011 and pricing will be announced approximately 30 days prior to shipping date. The LUMIX ZS10 will be available in black, red, blue, silver, and brown; while the LUMIX ZS8 will be available in black and silver. For more on these Panasonic LUMIX models, please visit www.panasonic.com/lumix. * 1 In the high speed burst shooting at 60 fps, the picture size is 2.5-megapixel(4:3), 3-megapixel(3:2), 3.5-megapixel(16:9), 2-megapixel(1:1). Facebook and the Facebook logo are registered trademarks or trademarks of Facebook, Inc. The “AVCHD” is a high definition digital video recording / playback format jointly established by Panasonic Corporation and Sony Corporation and “AVCHD” logos are trademarks of the companies. About Panasonic Consumer Electronics Company
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| Daily Crunch: Pinpoint Edition Posted: 25 Jan 2011 12:00 AM PST |
| RD-R2: JVC’s Portable Audio Recorder Targets Street Musicians Posted: 24 Jan 2011 11:07 PM PST
JVC Japan announced [JP] the RD-R2 today, a portable audio recorder designed for “street dancers” and musicians. The device lets you store music on microSD/SDHC cards (4GB to 32GB), records music through a built-in stereo mic and plays MP3/WMA/linear PCM (WAV) and AAC files through its 2.5Wx2 speakers.
To make life for the target group easier, JVC also throws in a number of special functions, for example a “countdown” feature or an automatic “hand clapping” feature to help get you into the rhythm. The RD-R2 also comes with a USB port, an FM tuner, a guitar input, and a KORG/metronome tuner.
JVC plans to roll out the device in Japan next month (price: $460). A trimmed-down version, the RD-R1 (which lacks the guitar input and the KORG tuner), will cost $290.
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| Fujifilm’s Anti-Counterfeiting Watermarks Are Just Cool-Looking Posted: 24 Jan 2011 07:36 PM PST
Fujifilm’s latest countermeasure is a special kind of image printing process that controls light “at a nanometer level.” Well, yeah. If it were at a meter level, you’d be controlling MF radio waves, am I right? Hmm. Note to self: EM spectrum humor not appreciated here. At any rate, these little labels are full color and can only be viewed through a special lens, as you can see in the video above. Now if a supplier gets a shipment of this or that Fujifilm part or product, they can be totally sure it’s the real thing as long as the label looks right — at least, until the counterfeiters catch up with this technique as well. [via Technabob]
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| Atrix Keyboard-Screen Dock Could Cost As Little As $150 Posted: 24 Jan 2011 04:42 PM PST
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| Further Leaks Show Off Potential Interface, Specs For HP’s webOS Tablet Posted: 24 Jan 2011 04:12 PM PST
I don’t want to spoil their day by just re-posting everything they got, so head over there to check out the rest of the items. There are no actual screenshots, but a lot of it shows basic ideas that probably were eventually fleshed out. I like the idea of many different gestures, and the keyboard looks nice, if lacking in symbols. They better get this thing out right quick, though. The market’s going to be pretty crowded come Spring. Oh yeah, and then there is the whole spec sheet.
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| Kinect + Minecraft = Full-Motion 3D Statues Posted: 24 Jan 2011 04:00 PM PST
The details of the project, which basically imports still data from the Kinect and rebuilds it with blocks in Minecraft, can be found here. The movies were put together by saving, rendering, and then pasting together multiple frames. “Phase 3″ is underway, though, and may automate that process. [via 1up]
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| 3G Nook Discontinued, Lack Of Demand Blamed Posted: 24 Jan 2011 03:37 PM PST
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| 8-Bit Funding: Kickstarter For Indie Games Posted: 24 Jan 2011 03:00 PM PST
I mention it mainly because I’m a fan of indie games, but also because I know our readers appreciate real new ideas when they see them, and sometimes may even want to throw a few bucks in that general direction. Right now the site is still being put together and the bugs being worked out, but hopefully in a few months it’ll be populated with lots of developers’ projects and goals, so they won’t have to rely as much on that lonely “donate” button on their personal website. [via Indie Games]
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| Nintendo Clarifies Some 3DS Questions, Stonewalls Others In Interview Posted: 24 Jan 2011 02:21 PM PST
The entire interview is here at Game Life, but the most interesting points are:
So basically, we can expect more info closer to the March “launch window.” I’m looking forward to it, mainly for the revamped classics. I think the killer original 3D games will take a while to come out.
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| Posted: 24 Jan 2011 02:00 PM PST
Pros:
Cons:
Full review:
We may as well be honest and admit that this isn’t exactly a new product. The Zoom Q3 has been out for a while, and this is an HD refresh. But to be fair, it’s a new design and the complaints relating to the old Q3 were often video-related. At any rate, the HD one is here now, and we’re reviewing it.
The device is very light, more so than other pocket cams, and really has the feel of a toy rather than a piece of equipment. I can’t say I’m too pleased with that, but it is at least well put together, and includes a USB connector (on a rather short leash). There are a number of ports on the side for audio in and out. The battery compartment is in the front, but is secure enough that I doubt you’ll accidentally pop it out.
The options are mostly self-explanatory: a couple frame and scene modes for video, and some bitrate/format options for audio. AAC and PCM are your choices, bitrate from 160 to 320kbps, and you can change the low cut and gain settings. Video is no better than your average pocket cam, but the Q3HD does have a refreshingly wide-angle lens. It’s not something the average shopper thinks of or notices, but most pocket cams have millimeter equivalents of maybe 50mm, when what you really want is something below 30. I’d put the Q3HD at around 35mm in angle, which makes framing shots easier. It’s not autofocus, unfortunately, so you’re stuck with a fixed infinity focus starting at around 18 inches from the lens. Par for the course with pocket cams, though you can find autofocus camcorders easily for under $200. I wanted to make a video showing the improvement a Q3HD provides in the audio department, but things weren’t really working out as I hoped. I realize that makes it sound like the device doesn’t actually do anything different, but I assure you it does. It’s much, much better at filtering out voices in a crowded room, and making sounds much warmer and more natural to the ear. The pinhole mics often found on pocket cams and even some mid-range camcorders tend to muddle everything together, but the Q3HD (as has been noted in its previous version) really does make for better sound. One thing that helps is a quick switch for going between low gain, high gain, and auto. While it does a good job auto-leveling, occasionally you might want to minimize background noise or just be sure you catch every word, and the switch from lo to hi is instant and noticeable. It’s especially handy having the live levels feedback on the video screen at all times (though the actual video itself is relatively small, unfortunately), as it lets you know when you’re clipping or not getting enough sound.
Another thing the Q3HD provides is a wealth of ports. A built-in USB cord is convenient, but it also has analog TV out, HDMI out, and 1/8″ lines in and out. This means it can be a plain sound recorder or a microphone for your DSLR or camcorder; you can turn the camera function off and just use the sound-recording function. Conclusion Basically what we’ve got here is a video blogger’s multitool. It’s no better than the competition when it comes to video quality, but the much-improved microphones provide better stereo separation, more warmth, better clarity, and also function as a digital voice recorder and external microphone. At $300, it’s nearly double the price of its Flip and Kodak competition, however, and it’s not a particularly rugged device, so consider what your needs are before dropping your dollar.     
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| Meet The Satarii Star, The Crowdfunded iPhone Accessory Of Every Blogger’s Dreams Posted: 24 Jan 2011 01:30 PM PST
I’m really starting to love this whole crowdfunding thing. Even if you look beyond gargantuan success stories like the TikTok Nano watch, you’ve still got all sorts of all sorts of wonderful concepts like the PadPivot, the mBrace, and the C-Loop all taking huge steps toward production thanks to ultra-early-adopters who were willing to pledge their cash up front. Last week, I had the chance to sit down and chat with a new company called Satarii, which is a pretty small operation (just a couple of engineers in a garage) banking on crowdfunding to help push their product — the Satarii Star, an iPhone/Camera base that rotates to follow you around the room and keep you always in frame — over the last few hurdles in the journey to production. Really, though — check this thing out. Read the rest at MobileCrunch >>
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| Zuckerberg, Doerr and More on How the iPad Has Changed Everything (TCTV) Posted: 24 Jan 2011 01:21 PM PST
But our annual love for Apple remains mostly unrequited. We shower them with awards and praise, and they don’t even send so much as an intern to accept their monkey statues. In the past, we’ve filled the sad, awkward void with humor. But this year with Apple CEO Steve Jobs back on medical leave that didn’t seem fitting. Instead I tracked down some of the industry’s biggest luminaries including Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, Foursquare founder Dennis Crowley, LinkedIn founder/Greylock partner Reid Hoffman, DreamWorks founder Jeffrey Katzenberg and Kleiner Perkin’s John Doerr to do the acceptance speech for Apple. I asked why they thought the iPad was more than just a cool device. In case you missed the show, the video is below.
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| CrunchGear Pre-Valentine’s Day Gift Guide: Picking A Cool, Cheap Watch Posted: 24 Jan 2011 01:09 PM PST
Rather than talk up another $500,000 watch, here’s a quick and dirty guide for picking up a nice watch for you or your loved one this Valentine’s Day. These watches max out at about $400 and we’ve chosen a few for men (or boys) who fit certain archetypes. The Club-Goer – There are a number choices for the regular club-goer including a nouveau-ironic G-Shock line or something like the Nooka. Basically you’re looking for something that will turn heads. This includes monsters like the black-on-black Tsovets that are unusable except as fashion statements.
The Outdoorsman – If you’re you enjoy outdoor living, cutting down trees, and pressing wild flowers, your best bet is picking up a tri-compax watch like the Casio Pathfinder PAW5000-1. These largish watches feature a barometer, thermometer, built-in compass, altimeter, and this model is powered by the sun so the more you hike the better it works. These watches are highly durable and usually supremely waterproof but the Pathfinder definitely doesn’t go with a suit and tie. The J-Fan – Seriously. Just go to Tokyoflash. Any one of those watches will make you feel like Akira.
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| iPhone Moe Book: This Is How It’s Done, Fanboys Posted: 24 Jan 2011 12:40 PM PST
J-List has this $35 Moe book by some of the best anime artists. All of the pictures, besides showing girls in various states of coquetry, feature the iPhone quite prominently.
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| Digital Storm New Enix Desktop Has A Sandy Bridge With 4.7GHz Posted: 24 Jan 2011 12:09 PM PST
You may remember the Digital Storm Black Ops that we gave away during Christmas. That thing was a beast; how could it get better? Well, as you know, technology always gets better. And now, we have the entirely new Enix; which will raise the GHz ceiling a bit higher. Using the latest from Intel, the Sandy Bridge chipset, Digital Storm was able to, with among other methods, overclock the Core i7 2600k to 4.7GHz. Those other methods being, of course, great thermal management; the motherboard is rotated 90 degrees off the theory that heat does, in fact, rise. $1,132 is the units base price and with that you get a Core i3-2100, 4GB DDR3-1600 memory, a 1TB HDD, and an NVIDIA 1GB GeForce GT 220. All units come with a copy of Windows 7 Home Premium. Get the high-end rig and look to spend over $2k for the right to say 4.7GHz is the speed you operate. It’s a pretty neat looking design and sure to be almost overkill for every game out there for years to come. Why not?    Press Release Fremont, Calif. – (January 24, 2011) – Digital Storm, the predominant name in computer system integration and engineering, proudly debuts it's most innovative and efficient PC design to date – Enix. The Enix from Digital Storm shatters the status quo by delivering bleeding edge performance while maintaining the minimalistic footprint of modern desktop computers. By disregarding the common wisdom that bigger is better, the Enix's small profile takes full advantage of the Micro ATX format. Overclocks of 4.7GHz and above are easily achieved thanks to the Enix's vertically cooled chassis and Intel's new powerful Sandy Bridge architecture. In addition, the motherboard is rotated 90 degrees taking full advantage of heat's natural tendency to rise. The Enix can also be customized to fit a dual GTX 580 configuration, giving it the versatility of being an elite gaming machine or a high performance workstation. The Enix looks like no other desktop computer because it isn't one; it foregoes the inherited inefficiencies to be born anew in a bold sleek design. At its center is a computing engine capable of delivering the type of staggering performance most users thought wasn't possible with a modern desktop computer of similar size. The design of the Enix's internal structure gives it numerous advantages over conventional desktop computers. The Enix's 90 degree motherboard rotation offers easy access to ports at the top of the chassis, eliminating the need to reach behind thecomputer to connect peripherals. Also, located at the top of the Enix is a hot-swap bay and two USB 3.0 ports. The hot-swap bay makes it easy to take your data on the go and the USB 3.0 ports provide blazing fast data transfer speeds. Additionally, the hard-drives in the Enix are all installed on the side of the chassis so that they can be passively cooled, minimizing noise for a silent user experience. "Enix's design is a dramatic departure from any system we've ever built in the past. By rethinking conventional PC design the Enix provides our customers with every imaginable advantage over other machines," remarked Rajeev Kuruppu, Digital Storm's Director of Product Development. "Accessibility to all the components is unparalleled and the vertically designed chassis keeps everything cool and quiet. Couple that with an outrageously overclocked Sandy Bridge chip and you have one of the most efficient and powerful machines on the market." Digital Storm's Enix is available for purchase at http://www.digitalstormonline.com/compblackops.asp with a base configuration starting at $1,132. About Digital Storm Founded in 2002, Digital Storm has rapidly emerged as the predominant name in system integration. With expertise in gaming and workstation PCs, Digital Storm's mission is to deliver its customers bleeding edge technology and performance, coupled with rock solid stability and support. As a validation of Digital Storm's success, the company has maintained an "A+" rating with the Better Business Bureau and its systems have received the industry's most prestigious awards. www.DigitalStormOnline.com
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| DC Universe Online: So Popular They Can’t Keep It On Store Shelves Posted: 24 Jan 2011 12:00 PM PST
DC Universe Online, the first "big" non-World of Warcraft MMO release of the year (the other being Star Wars: The Old Republic), has done quite well for Sony. It’s done so well, in fact, that Sony has had a hard time keeping it on store shelves. So says a tweet from Sony Online Entertainment president John Smedley. The game (I played the beta, and it was fun, particularly if you’re big into superheroes), has been flying off the shelves since its release on January 11. Smedley calls it SOE’s "fastest selling game ever." And yes: SOE is working on fixing the chat filter.
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| This TMNT Fan-Made Movie Trailer Proves The World Still Loves The Turtles Posted: 24 Jan 2011 11:44 AM PST |
| Murch And Ebert’s Misguided Malignment Of 3D Posted: 24 Jan 2011 11:33 AM PST
Murch names a few subjective complaints first: the glasses compress the movie-watching experience, the image is dark, and the everlasting complaint that you don’t need 3D to tell a good story. You didn’t need color or sound to tell a good story in the 20s, of course, or movies in the first place, but that is something that is routinely overlooked by hasty critics of 3D.
This isn’t a new problem. And as true as it is, it’s as far from a deal-breaker as the fact that movies used to be limited by the length of a film reel or the inability to sync sound to the action. The convergence/focus issue is a limitation to the technique of 3D filmmaking. There are many such limitations, and we have overcome them to make use of the associated technology many times before. If a director or cinematographer works from the start with the idea of a movie being in 3D, and is aware of the risks and limitations of the medium, then the movie will be made well. If, however, as has been the case with many movies of the last year or two, the 3D is not considered during production (adding it on is just plain bad news), the movie will have been made poorly. Nobody likes poorly-made movies, and the overwhelming majority of 3D movies are poorly made. The quality of the movie is the issue, not the technology behind it. Just imagine this complaint in the 20s: “Not only is synchronized sound unnecessary for the telling of a good story (we have title cards and emotive actors already), but it is totally unlike sound in real life. While the characters are in front of you, perhaps on the left side of the screen, the sound is coming from a single speaker in the center. The location is off, the recording quality is bad, and the truth is that not many actors or directors are even enhancing their movies much by using this vaunted new technology. ‘Talkies’ will die out in a few years, and the greats (F.W. Murnau, D.W. Griffith) will retain their status as the foremost practitioners of filmmaking.” At any rate, my defense of 3D is moot if people continue to make bad movies. I can’t defend the movies themselves, only the technology, which has already undergone great changes over the last two years, and further improvements are being looked into. Mr. Murch is perfectly right to point out the convergence/focus problem as a limitation of the medium, but for him and Ebert (whom I have rebutted before on the topic) to consider it fatal is, in my opinion, a lack of imagination and faith in the ingenuity of filmmakers.
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| How The Glif Got Made: From Design To Sales In Five Months Posted: 24 Jan 2011 11:06 AM PST
The Glif is an iPhone tripod mount. That’s it. It’s just a little hunk of plastic that, because if its unique shape and threaded mount, is insanely useful. If you’re not using it with a tripod you can easily attach it to add a bit of an angle to your iPhone for movie viewing. It’s pretty basic. But what’s cool is that it took the inventors, Tom Gerhardt and Dan Provost, five months to go from idea to finished product. They prototyped the device using Shapeways, refined it, pre-sold it through Kickstarter, manufactured it South Dakota, and shipped it out using a fulfillment center. And they did it all via the Internet. For example, here’s how they pulled off the manufacturing, probably the hardest part of the process:
It’s locally sourced, locally made, and the company “got” their product. It was a match made in heaven. People often are down on us (me in particular) for not supporting the indie hardware manufacturers. It is hard to sell hardware, but things are changing and the barrier to entry is falling to almost zero initial investment dollars.
You’ll note he said “a project like the Glif,” which is a piece of plastic. Bigger and more expensive stuff is obviously harder, but that should not dissuade the clever. Speed, above all, is key in these manufacturing plays. You can read the rest of the post right here and pick up a Glif over here.
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Paul Carr and my jokes aside, the Crunchies is pretty much an unabashed love-fest. We even get along with our arch-competitors GigaOm and VentureBeat long enough to co-host the event.
An article is making its way around the net today, a letter written to Roger Ebert by an Oscar-winning editor and sound engineer, Walter Murch, 
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