When we talked about why we like the Nokia N80, we digressed a little into the uses of cameraphones, and we'd like to point you to a post by 43folders which is an elaboration upon the idea that cameraphones are extremely useful as information reproduction devices.
There's still a problem afterwards, however, because now you have a huge mass of pictures ...
We think the Nokia N90 is a little bit of an under-performer; too large for the functionality it provides, particularly because rival phones seem to outperform it in terms of photo-taking even though it's key distinguishing feature is supposed to be a high quality camera lens. However, as stated previously, it is the most future-proof of the Symbian phones now available, due to it's high-resolution screen...
... and it takes pretty good videos. The following selection of videos might not be indicative, becuase they are, after all, promotional videos, but we enjoyed watching them, so here they are for your viewing pleasure...
We're not sure if the videos mean you should buy the phone though... do remember that quality will get even better as time passes - the Nokia 6280 is supposed to be able to capture VGA video at 15fps. And we should probably take this oppourtunity to tell you that the Nokia 7370, 6111, and 6270 have all recently passed bluetooth 2.0 + EDR qualification tests, that the Nokia 6111 is slated for release this week in certain countries, and that a bluetooth version of the wonderful Logitech MX1000 Laser Cordless Mouse (which we use and love) is about to arrive.
[Thanks, Moby!]
Malaysia's Ministry of Transport has built a web site called Pandu Cermat (malay for "drive safe") where any motorist may upload digital photos of another motorist's traffic violations - apparently in a bid to acquire some of the characteristics of the "Ministry of Love."
Quite apart from being a stupid move, because it intrinsically encourages use of cameraphones by drivers, it is also contrary to the ideal that traffic laws should not be retributive. For example, the main purpose of speed cameras is not to fine errant drivers, but to ensure that the speed limits are kept to, and to that end in civilised countries it is standard procedure to ensure that signs of the speed limit (and advertising the fact that a speed camera is present) are standard.
Having citizens report on one another is also tantamount to having secret informants - and this has long been recognized as a danger to free society. In his Constitutional History of England, written in the mid-19th century, Sir Thomas May observed:
Men may be without restraints upon their liberty; they may pass to and fro at pleasure: but if their steps are tracked by spies and informers, their words noted down for crimination, their associates watched as conspirators -- who shall say that they are free? - 1863, p. 275.
So - Malaysia - Stop it.
[The Raw Feed via Techdirt]
BLURRY snaps could be a thing of the past with the development of a digital camera that refocuses photos after they have been taken.
Pat Hanrahan and his team at Stanford University have figured out how to adjust the light rays after they have reached the camera. They inserted a sheet of 90,000 lenses, each just 125 micrometres across, between the camera's main lens and the image sensor. The angle of the light rays that strike each microlens is recorded, as well as the amount of light arriving along each ray.
Software can then be used to adjust these values for each microlens to reconstruct what the image would have looked like if it had been properly focused. That also means any part of the image can be refocused - not just the main subject.
Tracing the rays like this removes the conventional trade-off between the aperture size, which controls the amount of light that the camera takes in, and the depth of field. If light is low, a larger aperture will let enough light into the camera to form a clear image, but the laws of optics mean that a narrower slice of the world in front of the camera will appear in focus.
Don't expect this to appear in camera phones anytime soon, but if the inevitable production problems are worked out, RAW files will become much bigger - and Aperture will get a whole new palatte of features.
[via New Scientist]
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Minox has released a 24-carat Gold Plated Digital Camera, encrustedwith 0.2 Carats of Diamonds. It also has a 4.2MP CCD sensor, and 3× optical zoom. Pity about the 32MB SD. |
