Source Confirms Camera On Wii 2 Controller

Back in April, when rumors about Nintendo’s next system were flying fast, we heard there would be a user-facing camera on the controller. At the time I thought it ridiculous, but I also thought the 6″ touchscreen was ridiculous, and that seems to be accepted as fact now. So I guess it’s no surprise that a second source has confirmed that the controller will have a camera on it.
While it sounds like a gimmick at first, there’s a lot you can do with something like that, especially if it were to have, say, an IR component so it could detect you or your hand in the dark, that sort of thing.

Is this Samsung's first medium format digital camera?

Look closely at that photo above. Those, friends, are digital cameras from Samsung. That's right, even that boxy one that looks quite a bit like an old-school medium format film shooter. This photo was quietly inserted into a blog post from Sammy about lens design, without so much as a caption to clarify what our curious eyes were seeing. Might this be a future model meant to compete in the highest-ends of the digital camera market? Or is it something cooked up in the lab and abandoned for a more practical and mainstream design? There was a rumor kicking around last summer that Samsung was working on a medium format CMOS sensor and this could be a test rig for just such a slice of silicon. Whatever it is, we're intrigued and we'll be keeping an ear out for more info on what the Korean company has brewing.

Akihabara News

Samsung Tomorrow

Creepy new Air Force camera can identify and track you from far, far away

Sure you can do neat things like unlock your iPhone using facial recognition, but the Air Force has far grander visions for the tech. Specifically it wants a camera that can identify and track possible insurgents at a significant distance (though it's unclear how far we're talking about here) using only a few seconds of footage. It's turned to Photon-X Inc. to develop a sensor that combines spacial measurements, infrared and visible light to create a "bio-signature" that maps not only static facial features but muscle movements that are unique to each individual. The technology could also be used in targeting systems to identify enemy vehicles and integrated into robots to help them navigate and identify objects... or threatening meatbags. The Air Force even foresees law enforcement, banks, and private security firms using the cams to monitor customers and watch for suspicious activity. Similar tools have been created that use software to analyze video feeds, but they can't match the accuracy or range of this "behaviormetric" system. Normally, this is where we'd make some snide reference to Skynet or Big Brother but, honestly, we're too creeped out for jokes.

Wired

Photon-X, Department of Defense

Lexar dual-slot CF / SD reader packs USB 3.0, downloads cards six times faster (video)

For professional photographers, every second counts when downloading images on a deadline -- especially when you throw enormous HD video files into the mix. With the $50 Lexar Professional USB 3.0 Dual-Slot Reader, photogs now have a fast transfer option to compliment their pricey high-capacity CF and UHS-I SDXC cards, theoretically enabling downloads at up to 500MB per second (though current cards max out at one-fifth of that). You'll need to have a USB 3.0 port and high-speed flash to take advantage of faster transfers, though the reader is backwards-compatible with USB 2.0 and older cards -- you'll even be able to use that 32MB CF that came bundled with your DSLR. And what about appearance? Lexar Director of Marketing Jeff Cable sums it up: "It looks similar to our older card reader, the USB 2.0 reader, except that it says USB 3.0 right here on the front." Bam!

Lexar

Sigma SD1 starts shipping in June for $9,700, has its sights set on medium format lovers

Sigma knows that $9,700 is a lot of money to pay for, well, anything, so it's couching the hefty price tag on its new flagship DSLR, the SD1, in the context of it competing against medium format digital cameras -- whose prices don't generally fall below five figures. Trouble is, as professionally inclined, well designed, and durably built as the SD1 may be, it still only packs a 15.3 megapixel CMOS sensor that spans 24mm x 16mm (or APS-C size). That means it'll have to earn its stripes on the battlefield of image quality, which it'll be ready to march onto in less than a month's time. Sigma promises to start shipping units in early June, so if you have the cash to spare (plus a little extra to fund a suitably awesome lens), you can start building up your anticipation today.

Sigma

Lingodroid robots develop their own language, quietly begin plotting against mankind

It's one thing for a robot to learn English, Japanese, or any other language that we humans have already mastered. It's quite another for a pair of bots to develop their own, entirely new lexicon, as these two apparently have. Created by Ruth Schulz and her team of researchers at the University of Queensland and Queensland University of Technology, each of these so-called Lingodroids constructed their special language after navigating their way through a labyrinthine space. As they wove around the maze, the Lingobots created spatial maps of their surroundings, with the help of on-board cameras, laser range finders and sonar equipment that helped them avoid walls. They also created words for each mapped location, using a database of syllables. With the mapping complete, the robots would reconvene and communicate their findings to each other, using mounted microphones and speakers. One bot, for example, would spit out a word it had created for the center of the maze ("jaya"), sending both of them off on a "race" to find that spot. If they ended up meeting at the center of the room, they would agree to call it "jaya." From there, they could tell each other about the area they'd just come from, thereby spawning new words for direction and distance, as well. Schulz is now looking to teach her bots how to express more complex ideas, though her work is likely to hit a roadblock once these two develop a phrase for "armed revolt."

IEEE Spectrum

Apple patent application suggest iPod nano could become even more of a 'fashion accessory'

There's no guarantee that it will show up in the next iPod nano -- or any iPod nano at all, for that matter -- but a newly published patent application has now offered a few more hints about how Apple might make such a device even more wearable. Titled simply, "Environment Sensitive Display Tags," the patent application details how a small, wearable device could use a variety of sensors and inputs (including a camera, microphone, accelerometer -- even a thermometer) to obtain information about its surroundings and translate that into a visual element that's displayed on the screen. So, for instance, the camera could be used to create a background that matches your shirt or jacket, or the accelerometer could be used to make a screen saver react to your movements (like the rain drops illustrated above). All of which, the application suggests, could serve to make the device even more "aesthetically pleasing" as a "fashion accessory."

Incidentally, the patent application also noticeably features "Games" as a menu option in some of the illustrations -- which would be new to the current variety of iPod nano -- but there's no mention of it in the actual claims. And, given that it was filed back in November of 2009, the application's authors could well have simply been working on the assumption that games would simply carry over from the previous generation.

Apple Insider

USPTO

Review : Flip Ultra HD video camera

Flip Ultra HD video camera is amazing as it can make videos up to two hours and has an 8 GB built in memory. Besides this it also come sup with an additional battery which allows you to make continuous videos not stop.

It has a 720 p resolution and also features image stabilization which allows you to get clear and sharp videos. It has the ability to work in any environment and condition so you do not have to worry about the end result because it will always be good no matter what. It also features a premium ACC audio which gives one of the best sound quality to all your videos. Its slim and sleek design makes it look an amazing item to own and allows you the freedom to carry it with you anywhere and record your favorite moments anytime.