Yearly Archives: 2011

369 posts

Canon U.S.A. Announces Four New Powershot Cameras With Canon’s HS System And Full HD Video Capability

Canon Premieres the World’s Thinnest Camera with 24mm equivalent lens, 5x Optical Zoom; Rebrands the PowerShot ELPH Models and Introduces GPS Capabilities in the PowerShot SX230 HS Digital camera

Rebranding of the ELPH models:

Showcasing the true evolution of the ELPH brand, the new PowerShot ELPH models have now instituted a “HS” suffix to represent the inclusion of the HS SYSTEM in each model. The renaming of the ELPH model will help to better correlate with Canon’s ever-increasing capabilities in its PowerShot Digital cameras, while retaining its popular identity. With the ELPH 500 HS, ELPH 300 HS and ELPH 100 HS Digital cameras, the new names of the ELPH models will also serve as an easy solution to help consumers make an informed decision about which camera to purchase.

Introduced last year, the HS SYSTEM is a technology used to enhance image quality in low-light situations without the need for a flash. Making up the HS SYSTEM in these new models is Canon’s DIGIC 4 Image Processor combined with a High-Sensitivity CMOS sensor, which helps to reduce noise at high ISO levels and expand the camera’s dynamic range, ultimately capturing greater detail and color in images in darker settings, like a wedding reception. With the use of the HS SYSTEM, consumers are able to capture clearer images with less noise and blur, resulting in brilliant, sharp images.
It’s all about location, location, location

When vacationing in Venice or taking a family-camping trip, there are many opportunities to capture a keepsake photo. However, years later, it may be difficult to remember the location the image was taken. Canon’s new GPS feature in the Canon PowerShot SX230 HS model will help make it easier to pinpoint the exact spot2. Through a dedicated receiver, the camera is able to collect signals from GPS satellites to obtain the latitude, longitude and altitude and records this information to the image’s EXIF data3. The map utility software included with the camera permits viewing of photos on a map and shows the location of where the image was shot. The PowerShot SX230 HS also has an internal GPS logger, another first for a PowerShot model, helping to track the day’s route on a map, making it a useful application for long-term trips.
Shooting video like never before

Having the ability to shoot HD video is imperative when capturing a full sequence of events, such as attending a high-end runway show in New York City or witnessing a baby’s first steps. The Canon PowerShot SX230 HS, ELPH 500 HS, ELPH 300 HS and ELPH 100 HS now feature Full 1080p HD video with Dynamic Image Stabilizer, providing secure, stellar resolution in a compact frame. A new feature called Movie Digest mode can be found in all the new PowerShot models, allowing consumers to shoot a short video before capturing a still image and then combine a full day’s worth of videos into one clip, making it easier for consumers to relive those special moments again and again.
Increase intelligence with Smart AUTO

The quest to capture the perfect image can be difficult if the camera does not have the correct settings. Helping to make the photographic journey that much easier, the new Canon PowerShot Digital cameras have advanced Smart AUTO with 32 different shooting scenes. Smart AUTO is helpful since the camera will automatically select settings that match the scene without the need to switch modes, making it possible to take beautiful photos in a variety of situations. Tracking desired objects on a screen with ease, Advanced Subjection Detection has been added to the Smart AUTO function as well, providing the successful capture of fast moving objects, vehicles or birds flying across the sky. By simply pressing the shutter button, the Advanced Subject Detection automatically identifies certain objects like a fish in an aquarium. After pressing the shutter button, the Servo Auto Focus/Auto Exposure continues to function and the focus and exposure of the moving subject continues to be tracked, making it possible to shoot without the subject passing by.

Helping to add more artistic flair to images is the inclusion of Toy Camera effect and Monochrome effect to the scene mode category for all four of the new Canon PowerShot models. Toy Camera Effect adds a grainy, blurred look to soften photos, illustrating an old-school, 1960’s appearance and Monochrome mode can make a photo either have black-and-white, blue or sepia tones, displaying a more classic, antiqued appearance.
PowerShot SX230 HS Digital Camera:

Available in black, red and blue, the Canon PowerShot SX230 HS Digital camera features a 12.1-Megapixel High-Sensitivity CMOS Sensor with a powerful 14X Optical Zoom with Optical Image Stabilization. This new camera also includes a wide-angle 28mm equivalent lens, aiding in the capture of group pictures and a 3.0-inch LCD screen for easy viewing and scrolling through menus.

The PowerShot SX230 HS will be available at the end of March for an estimated selling price of $349.99.
PowerShot ELPH 500 HS, ELPH 300 HS and ELPH 100 HS Digital cameras:

Available in silver, brown and pink, the Canon PowerShot ELPH 500 HS features a 3.2-inch wide, intuitive, touch-panel LCD screen. The PowerShot ELPH 500 HS also has a bright f/2.0 lens, enabling users to take photos without a flash, resulting in a more natural look while providing greater depth of field. The camera also possesses a 12.1-Megapixel High-Sensitivity CMOS sensor along with a 4.4X Optical Zoom with Optical Image Stabilizer and an ultra-wide angle 24mm equivalent lens, which is ideal for large group shots at a family reunion or high school graduation.

The Canon PowerShot ELPH 300 HS Digital camera has a 12.1-Megapixel High-Sensitivity CMOS sensor, 5X Optical Zoom, an ultra-wide angle 24mm equivalent lens along with a 2.7-inch LCD screen and is available in red, black and silver. The PowerShot ELPH 100 HS Digital camera possesses a 12.1-Megapixel High-Sensitivity CMOS sensor, 4X Optical Zoom, a wide angle 28mm equivalent lens and 3.0-inch LCD screen and comes in blue, gray, pink, silver, and orange.

The PowerShot ELPH 500 HS is scheduled to be available at the end of March for the estimated retail price of $299.99, while PowerShot ELPH 300 HS and PowerShot ELPH 100 HS Digital cameras are scheduled to be available in mid-March for an estimated selling price of $249.99 and $199.99 respectively.

www.usa.canon.com

Canon Announces New T3i and T3 DSLR Cameras

Canon U.S.A., Inc., has announced the EOS Rebel T3i and EOS Rebel T3 Digital SLR Cameras, providing numerous intelligent high-end features at attractive price points. Complementing the award-winning EOS Rebel T2i DSLR, the EOS Rebel T3i, Canon’s new flagship Rebel, offers fun and easy-to-use features for beginning photographers, and the EOS Rebel T3 provides a more attractively priced option for those looking to experience the pleasure of shooting with a DSLR camera. For the young enthusiast learning photography or the adult looking to learn more, Canon’s new Feature Guide instruction will walk Rebel T3i users through functions and provide recommendations for various settings, a great hands-on learning tool. Point-and-Shoot users looking to step-up to a DSLR will enjoy the T3i camera’s Scene Intelligent Auto mode, the most intuitive automatic camera mode available in a Canon Rebel camera to date, providing complete scene analysis and optimized settings. One of the most sought-after and requested features for a DSLR camera is now part of the new EOS Rebel T3i, Canon’s three-inch Vari-Angle Clear View LCD screen, ideal for properly composing those difficult overhead shots. Comfortable, lightweight and affordable, Canon’s new EOS Rebel T3 is a great camera to welcome users to the world of DSLR photography.

Canon’s new EOS Rebel T3i DSLR gives creative photographers some fun in-camera tools that enable users to apply Creative Filters to images after they have been shot without altering the original file. Canon’s new Creative Image Filters, familiar to Canon PowerShot and EOS 60D users, help make a great image more dynamic by creating an altered copy of the image through any of Canon’s four artistic filter options:

* The Soft Focus effect filter helps dramatize an image and smooth over shiny reflections.
* The Grainy Black and White filter can give a different nostalgic perspective to any shot.
* Canon’s “Toy Camera” filter deliberately adds vignetting and color shift for a creative option when shooting a colorful scene.
* Users can also make a scene appear like a small-scale model, simulating the look from a tilt-shift lens, with Canon’s Miniature Effect filter, great when shooting any scene from a high vantage point.

Each of these filters can be applied to a captured still image in-camera to create a second “filtered” JPEG version, leaving the original JPEG file unaffected.

Another addition to the camera’s Live View function is Canon’s new Aspect Ratio feature whereby the Live View screen can display cropping lines for 1:1, 16:9 or 4:3 aspect ratios in addition to the standard 3:2 ratio. These cropping lines make it easier to compose images in Live View, and they can help to expedite printing when using Canon’s supplied Digital Photo Professional software. Custom aspect ratios are also applied to JPEG images captured directly in-camera.

EOS HD Video Specs

The EOS Rebel T3i with Full HD video capture at 1920 x 1080 resolution in selectable frame rates of 24p, 25p or 30p will grab the attention of film students and independent filmmakers alike. The Rebel T3i incorporates two Canon proprietary technologies for rendering amazing HD video, a DIGIC 4 Imaging Processor and a large APS-C–sized CMOS sensor capturing fine detail and color with an amazing cinematic depth of field. The Rebel T3i DSLR allows for three video recording modes – Full HD and HD in a 16:9 aspect ratio and Standard Definition (SD) in a 4:3 aspect ratio, all at selectable frame rates.

EOS HD Video: Ready For A Close-Up

When shooting Full HD video, the Rebel T3i digitally provides additional zoom power without sacrificing quality. The new Movie Digital Zoom feature, a first for Canon DSLRs, allows users to achieve 3x to 10x magnification while shooting Full HD video. Unlike standard digital zoom for still images, Movie Digital Zoom crops the video image directly from the CMOS sensor at Full HD resolution to preserve video quality and still provide amazing additional telephoto power beyond just the lens. The Movie Digital Zoom feature is great for those times when the lens isn’t enough to get you in close, but this feature provides the extra boost without a loss in video quality so a child’s smile on stage is just as clear and bright.

EOS Video Snapshot

Canon’s new EOS Video Snapshot feature borrows some innovation from Canon’s VIXIA line of camcorders for capturing, assembling and playing fun-to-watch video clips. EOS Video Snapshot enables users to capture the video highlights of family vacations, parties or milestone events, with the same ease as taking photos. Consumers can now record a series of two-, four- or eight-second video clips automatically. The scenes are assembled by the camera into continuous Video Snapshot Album files for easy playback and can even be further edited in camera or through Canon’s Video Snapshot Task software on a compatible personal computer for added flexibility and fun.

Valuable Additional Features

Along with the adjustable LCD screen, the new EOS Rebel T3i DSLR features a class-leading 18-megapixel Canon CMOS sensor, a proprietary DIGIC 4 Imaging Processor, a 9-point Autofocus system and a 63-zone dual-layer metering system. Capable of capturing kids at play or wildlife on the move, the Rebel T3i can shoot up to 34 consecutive full resolution JPEG still images or up to 11 consecutive RAW images at speeds up to 3.7-frames-per-second to either SD, SDHC or new extended capacity SDXC memory cards.

The Rebel T3i includes an ISO range from 100-6400, allowing it to capture beautiful images without the need for a flash during milestone events such as birthday celebrations, yet it still includes a built-in pop-up flash for those times requiring a little extra light. For the first time on a Rebel camera, the T3i features a built-in Integrated Speedlite Transmitter making it even easier to do multi-flash shoots and provide images with greater ambience. The new Integrated Speedlite settings are now even easier for beginners shooting with multiple flashes.

Pricing and Availability

The Canon EOS T3i Digital SLR camera is scheduled to be delivered to U.S. dealers in the beginning of March, and will be sold in a body-only configuration at an estimated retail price of $799.99. It will also be offered in a kit version with Canon’s new EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS II zoom lens at an estimated retail price of $899.99. It will also be available in a second kit version with Canon’s EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS zoom lens at an estimated retail price of $1099.00.

Rebel T3 Digital SLR Camera

Canon is happy to introduce a chic camera for beginners to ease into the exciting world of DSLR photography and videography; the new EOS Rebel T3 Digital SLR camera. The Rebel T3 is designed to be the camera that can be expertly handled by anyone and allows great-looking photos to be taken with ease and style. The Rebel T3 is excellent in low-light shooting situations and simple to handle and operate.

Putting big imaging power in a small body, the new EOS Rebel T3 DSLR features a 12.2-megapixel Canon CMOS image sensor, a proprietary DIGIC 4 Imaging Processor, a 9-point Autofocus system and a 63-zone dual-layer metering system. With individual pixels measuring roughly 10x larger than a pixel from a point-and-shoot camera sensor, the Rebel T3 is able to absorb more light with less noise, making it ideal for capturing high-quality images in dimly lit situations. The increased efficiencies in gathering light also make the camera better suited to freeze fast-moving objects such as capturing images of children at play at speeds up to 3-frames per second. Compatible with SD, SDHC or new extended capacity SDXC memory cards, the Rebel T3 also shoots 1280×720 HD movies for amazing image quality for both stills and video. The Canon Rebel T3 features an ISO range from 100-6400 for capturing beautiful images in various light settings while also including a built-in pop-up flash. Designed for easy operation through the camera’s mode dial, users can go from taking great still images to great video quickly and easily, with simple to understand icons and buttons.

Pricing and Availability

The Canon EOS Rebel T3 Digital SLR camera is scheduled to be delivered to U.S. dealers at the end of March, and will be offered in a kit with Canon’s new EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 II zoom lens at an estimated retail price of $599.99.

AOL Agrees to Buy Huffington Post for $315 Million

AOL Inc. announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire The Huffington Post, the influential and rapidly growing news, analysis, and lifestyle website founded in 2005, which now counts nearly 25 million unique monthly visitors*.

The transaction will create a premier global, national, local, and hyper-local content group for the digital age – leveraged across online, mobile, tablet, and video platforms. The combination of AOL’s infrastructure and scale with The Huffington Post’s pioneering approach to news and innovative community building among a broad and sophisticated audience will mark a seminal moment in the evolution of digital journalism and online engagement.

The new group will have a combined base of 117 million unique visitors a month in the United States and 270 million around the world**. Following the close of this transaction, AOL will accelerate its strategy to deliver a scaled and differentiated array of premium news, analysis, and entertainment produced by thousands of writers, editors, reporters, and videographers around the globe.

humans.txt for Websites

humans.txt is a file placed in website files that makes people aware of the people behind a website. It contains information about the different people who have contributed to building the website.

It is located in the site root, next to the robots.txt file. You can also add an author tag to the head file.

The aim of this initiative is to make site visitors aware who the authors of the sites are. You can include the name of the developer, the designer, the copywriter, the webmaster, anyone who has taken part in the creation of a site.

More info at: http://humanstxt.org/

UK File Sharing Lawyers ACS Law Closes Down

ACS Law closed down on 31 January, along with its sole piracy client, Media CAT according to PC Pro, just days before a key court decision.

ACS Law solicitor Andrew Crossley confirmed to the BBC that both firms have ceased trading, and ACS Law’s phone number is now disconnected. Crossley said the firm was leaving the piracy litigation business, after threats to his family.

Read more: File-sharing lawyers ACS Law shuts down | News | PC Pro http://www.pcpro.co.uk/news/365029/file-sharing-lawyers-acs-law-shuts-down#ixzz1D5zTMElz

Microsoft Hotmail Announces Aliases for Email Accounts

Hotmail has introduced aliases a new feature aimed at “e-mail enthusiasts,” which lets anyone create multiple e-mail accounts that can be read, replied to, and managed from their everyday e-mail inbox
Hotmail will let you add up to link up five email aliases a year that are completely different from your main hotmail address.

The new service is free, and will roll out to all Hotmail users shortly.

Chrome Browser Gets WebGL 3D Hardware Acceleration Support

Google’s Chrome Browser now supports WebGL 3D Hardware Acceleration. The update will also allows users to download applications that run within the browser from the app store. It also features Chrome Instant, when enabled, Chrome will start to load the user’s most frequent websites as the URL is typed in the address bar.

Google also released a new extension for its Chrome browser that will make it easier to avoid ads on the Web.

Chrome recently recorded a 10% browser market share for the first time.

rollApp Launches a Free Cloud Version of Open Office

Integrated with GoogleDocs and DropBox

rollApp Inc. announced the release of a free beta service http://rollApp.com that provides users with online editions of Open Office, integrated with GoogleDocs and DropBox. It offers SMBs and independent professionals a turn-key solution that combines rich functionality of the traditional office suites with all the benefits of cutting-edge cloud platforms: on-demand scalability, anywhere access, no install/support pain, and reduced cost.

rollApp is developing a technology which allows instant conversion of virtually any traditional software into online SaaS. Software publishers will only need to upload their existing installation packages to http://rollApp.com , to make them available for anybody to use via any standard web browser, without any installs or downloads. The look and feel and the functionality of the software running through rollApp will mirror the original.

Today rollApp’s beta program offers 10+ popular software packages, including Open Office tools for editing documents, spreadsheets and presentations. rollApp plans to gradually add more applications and, once the platform is tested with the top-100 apps, http://rollApp.com will allow open submission of applications by third-party vendors (see http://rollApp.com/beta for details).

Schematic works with Google on the Google Art Project

Schematic, a WPP Digital company, announced it was chosen by Google to work on an exciting new site, the Art Project, powered by Google, an innovative platform bringing the world’s great museums and artworks to the Internet. Schematic supported the design and development of the Art Project’s user experience, bringing to life Google’s vision for first-of-its-kind access to the world of art through an interactive digital environment.

To put the emphasis on each museum and its artwork, Schematic worked with Google’s team to design and co-develop a deceptively simple, immersive interface design. The project uses a number of Google APIs, including Street View, Picasa, YouTube, Google Docs, Goo.gl, Account and Google Scholar in a Java-based web application.

“We’re honored to have been chosen to work with Google,” said Trevor Kaufman, CEO of Schematic. “Art Project is going to change the way we experience art, bringing Florence’s Uffizi Gallery to students in the US, or bringing Berlin’s Gemäldegalerie to art lovers in Africa. We used Google’s best tools to bring users closer to the art here than they can get at the actual museums.” Behind the scenes video of the creative and development process for Art Project, powered by Google, are available on YouTube.

About Schematic
Schematic, a WPP company, creates powerful interactive experiences for the world’s largest brands. Servicing Fortune 1000 companies including Target, Nokia, Comcast, NBC, Dell, and Microsoft, the firm develops user-focused digital marketing and innovation solutions that help clients build brands and delight customers across channels. Recognized by both Advertising Age and AdWeek as one of the industry’s most innovative firms, Schematic is headquartered in New York. For more information, please visit http://www.schematic.com

Twitter Overloaded

The last few day when we look at Twitter, most visits we get an error page which hangs, sometimes if you click on the home button it then goes to where you wanted to be.

The “Twitter is over capacity error page” pictures a whale being lifted by birds, I wonder if the whale represents the bloated beast Twitter has become!

We have also been trying to make adjustments to twitter pages and that seems to be hit or miss, Twitter also seems to use a lot of caching, so it is hard to see if changes have really (if any) been made. Twitter API’s we use seem to have a mind of their own as well.

Price of a successful free service I guess!

Microsoft Announces Chrome H.264 Video Extension for Chrome

Microsoft has announced a Windows Media Player HTML5 Extension for Chrome, which will let users of the Google browser play H.264 video on HTML5 pages by using the built-in capabilities found in Windows 7.

Microsoft’s Dean Hachamovitch, corporate vice president of Internet Explorer, also released a lengthy blog post in which he criticized Google’s control over the WebM project and said IE9 will support both H.264 and WebM.

The Windows Media Player HTML5 Extension for Chrome uses Windows Media Player Firefox Plugin code from the April 2007 release according to the release notes.

Fragmentation of Android Platform

Google’s Android platform definition is being stretched to include Chinese rivals, including China Mobile’s Ophone and Tapas OS, a project run by the former president of Google China, reports Appleinsider.

“A report by Canalys yesterday claimed that Google Android platform had taken the top spot in global smartphone platforms worldwide, edging in front of Nokia and making up about a third of all smartphones globally.

However, the report’s numbers included a footnote saying the “Google numbers” “relate to Android, as well as the OMS and Tapas platform variants.”

In reference to these “variants,” John Gruber of the Daring Fireball wrote today, “Are things like maps, email, search, and advertising served through Google? Or do they come from Chinese companies? Put another way, are OMS and Tapas variants of Android, or separate platforms forked from Android?””

Read More: http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/11/02/01/google_android_counts_include_rival_chinese_variants.html