Jumsoft has released Aperture Themes 2.0, a package of ten new themes for Apple's photography software. The new content adds to the six themes available in the previous v1.0 bundle. The styles are geared toward creating web galleries with photos via Aperture. Each of the 16 themes has up to ten different layouts for a total of 51 designs.
ASUS' leaked Eee PC 1201N netbook has gained a more definitive release date through a rumor on Friday. The NVIDIA Ion-based portable is now slated by Electricpig as arriving in at least the UK by December. Premature store listings put the price at $756, though the cost is likely to be lower for the as yet unknown North American release.
VUDU on Thursday announced that it has brought brought three key Internet apps to VUDU-enabled TVs. These are the same apps that were already available on the VUDU box and include Picasa, Flickr, Pandora, a free TV on-demand service and a few simple games. VUDU says it brought these apps to the TVs from its partners due to popular demand.
ViewSonic earlier this week announced the VMP70 media hub, which allows users to bring the photo, music and video files from their PCs to their living room by displaying them on conventional TVs. While there is no Internet connection of any sort, users can add content using the two USB ports, with video files upconverted to 1080p quality.
e-on has launched Vue 8 Infinite and Vue 8 xStream, new editions of its environmental rendering software. The updates were announced in mid-October, and deliver a series of new features for 3D terrain sculpting, plus increased xStream integration for improved workflow with various CG programs. The apps also include a new shader-based OpenGL preview engine -- improving real-time performance and preview accuracy -- plus enhancements to the quality and realism of atmospheric shadows, clouds and "god" rays.
A source today claims the sequel to NVIDIA's Tegra mobile processor could muster double the performance of the original. The new chip is purported by "high ranking" industry contacts to be switching from an ARM7 architecture to the much newer ARM9 and also to use a dual-core design. Combined with improvements to the graphics core, the updated Tegra would be roughly twice as fast overall.
Young startup Isabella Products today unveiled a new digital photo frame that it hopes will make Internet access an always-available feature. The Vizit uses AT&T's cellular network to go online and, even more so than Wi-Fi, is ready to send and receive photos. It can send and receive photos through an online Vizit gallery or through e-mail but can also take photos sent by MMS.
Olympus as promised today released the E-P2 as its second-generation Micro Four Thirds compact. The update to the 12.3-megapixel camera primarily adds continuous, motion-track autofocusing that can better follow a subject across the frame. HD movie recording likewise gets a boost with manual control over the aperture and shutter speed.
Olympus' E-P2 Micro Four Thirds camera has been revealed early thanks to a preview posted in advance. The rangefinder-like design is now known by BJP to be getting only a handful of new features but will importantly bring AF motion tracking and consequently fix a common complaint of slow autofocusing with the E-P1. Alongside this, it brings in a new electronic viewfinder option that is both very high-resolution (1.44 megapixels) and which pivots up to 90 degrees off-axis.
Planon on Wednesday introduced its new series of DocuPen Xtreme scanning pens, which includes the X05, X10 and X50. The X05 and X10 can support 600DPI resolutions, while the X50 doubles it to 1,200DPI. Each of the pens has a 200MHz processor and 64MB of memory, both the highest in Planon's lineup.
Automatic Duck has published a trio of new software releases supporting Apple's Final Cut editing tool. The first is ProDate DV, a plug-in supporting both Final Cut Pro and Express. The software scans DV media for timestamps, allowing date and time information to be imposed on-screen. It costs $39.
A new leak of internal documentation has provided a deeper explanation of the Microsoft Courier. The dual-screen tablet prototype has a fundamentally simple interface with two-finger multi-touch gestures: besides usual navigation, it would let users tap-and-hold to clip a photo or other object and a two-finger swipe left or right to move that object to the opposite page. The pen also has two buttons and an "eraser" to both switch between drawing styles as well as to remove recent changes.
A leaked set of proposals for the Anti-Counterfeit Trade Agreement (ACTA) suggests the international deal will require harsh online anti-piracy measures. The draft will reportedly force Internet providers in all member states to actively police copyright on their networks. To qualify for safe harbor and reduce their liability, the ISPs would also have to implement "gradual response" rules like France's three-strike law that initially warn and eventually punish those said pirating content, likely forcing them offline.
Pangea Software has released Bracketeer 4, the latest version of its photography utility that combines bracketed exposures into a single image, resulting in a wide range of shading in each photograph. The software provides users with an alternative to Tone Mapping, with a different technique called "Enfusing.” The program creates images directly from the bracketed source images, without ever having to create an HDR image first. This is claimed to help deliver a more realistic looking picture while improving processing time.
Toon Boom Animation has launched a new animation title, Flip Boom All-Star, aimed at teens and older users. The software can import digital images and provides drag-and-drop drawings that are ready to be added to animations. It supports text entry and handles MP3 audio files. Animations can be uploaded to portals such as Facebook and YouTube, or transferred to an iPod or iPhone.
Boris has released a new Adobe After Effects plug-in, Boris XML Transfer. The utility transfers Apple's Final Cut Pro program sequences to After Effects, preserving all aspects of Final Cut projects such as effects, audio, media clips, transitions, geometric transformations, and multi-clip edits. Trimmed clips retain full editing capabilities in Adobe After Effects, presented as stepped-up or stepped-down layers.
Best Buy today struck a deal with Roxio to create a unique online and DVD hybrid movie service for the big-box retailer. The unnamed project hopes to give users buy once, play anywhere privileges: those who buy a DVD in-store will then have access to a CinemaNow-based portal for watching movies both on computers as well as on smartphones and Internet-aware Blu-ray players. Many of the movies will be new releases instead of reprints or old titles.
Sorenson has launched Squeeze 6, an upgraded version of its video encoding tool. The program is aimed at professionals, and allows users to specify various audio and video controls such as compression, normalization and noise reduction. New to the code is a substantially faster encoding speed, as much as five times better when using H.264 or On2 VP6.
Broadpoint AmTech analyst Doug Freedman today revived talk of NVIDIA making its own x86 processors in a new research note. He claims that the graphics company has been recruiting "extensively" from employees of the one-time chip designer Transmeta and is using these to speed along one or more unknown designs. It may also not need to use Transmeta-like code translation as many of the original x86 architecture patents lose their effectiveness.
EVGA has released a new hybrid card, the Hybrid GTX 275 Co-op PhysX, which uses NVIDIA's GTX 275 and GTS 250 GPUs on the same card. The two split tasks accordingly, with the GTX 275 taking care of the graphics while the GTS 250 does PhysX computing for physics in games like Batman: Arkham Asylum (included in the box) or Mirror's Edge. There is 1.28GB of combined memory while the GTS 250 and GTX 275 chips run at 633MHz and 738MHz, respectively. Total memory bandwidth tops out at 179.8GBps.
Spring Design late Monday revealed that it has sued Barnes & Noble for allegedly infringing on the design of its two-screen Alex e-book reader. The company claims to have been working with Barnes & Noble in confidential terms since spring of this year but that the bookstore 'stole' the idea, unveiling its Nook reader without telling Spring Design in advance. The latter also says it has been obtaining patents since 2006, well before development of the Nook would have begun.
Kingston and Paramount unveiled an unusual deal today that will see the latter's movies made available on SD cards and USB flash drives. The partners haven't detailed the formats involved but say the movies will be available both in bundles as well as individually. Neither company has committed to a release date.
Apple could upturn the entire TV market by offering an iTunes TV subscription service, a prominent rumor says today. iTunes head Eddy Cue is believed to be pitching the idea of a $30 monthly plan that would give users much broader access, much like conventional TV. The exact terms aren't specified by the "multiple" MediaMemo tips but wouldn't confine the service to a single device.
At its recent annual meeting, Creative unexpectedly announced plans to release an e-book reader it calls the MediaBook. While the name may change before the device makes it to production, features such as a touchscreen, text-to-speech functionality and an SD memory card reader are not expected to change. It should also feature Creative's Zii processor and have the ability to browse the Internet, both of which differentiate it from other e-book readers on the market.
AKVIS has announced a new version of its photo enhancement tool, Noise Buster 7.0. The application is designed to remove noise in the color and luminance layers of images, both separately and together. The upgrade delivers a series of new features including support for Adobe Photoshop Elements 8, 64-bit Adobe Photoshop CS4, and Snow Leopard, as well as improvements to both the noise reduction algorithm and interface. Bug fixes have also been added for both the Mac and Windows versions.
Imagine Products has introduced new versions of its ShoutPut Pro and ProxyMill applications, which support workflows for Canon 5D Mark II and JVC ProHD digital cameras. ShoutPut Pro delivers tools for managing HD digital media, enabling users to make secure copies of a memory card or hard disk’s contents, in up to three locations, along with the ability to create Blu-ray or DVD archivies. ProxyMill is an HD conversion software, that allows users to create HD Log files, to customize QuickTime codec, image quality or bit rates, and to make low-resolution H.264 or MPEG-4 QuickTime movies.
RED this evening provided an update on the progress of its greater-than-HD EPIC and Scarlet cameras with a beta program for the EPIC-X and a feature boost for the Scarlet. The 5K resolution EPIC-X should now be available as a "beta" test camera before the end of 2009 and, in a first stage, will give those buyers a pre-production core body and all the equipment needed to use it outside of the lens, such as CompactFlash storage, an electronic viewfinder, a mount and power. This initial run should be available only in very limited numbers for $28,000 and will get special support up to and including CEO Jim Jannard's personal cellphone number.
Primera has announced PTPublisher, new burning and printing software for the Mac. The app is based on the Roxio burn engine and allows users to burn or print discs through any networked Primera disc publisher. A real-time status bar displays bin levels, ink levels and system errors, while administrator functions give control over an authorized user list and password assignments, as well as e-mailed status notifications.
HTC is updating its own user interface for its touchscreen smartphones, as evidenced by the company's recent patent filing. The handset maker's design appears to be a spiritual successor to TouchFLO and Sense UI. While still unnamed, it would mimic the layout and organization of a virtual book, according to images and the description in the patent application.
Olympus' success to its first Micro Four Thirds camera should make its debut in as little as a week based on both official and unofficial news. A teaser page from the company is counting down to a "new PEN" launch on November 6th and has been accompanied by a leak showing the new camera. Still believed to be called the E-P2, the camera now appears to be virtually identical to the E-P1 on the outside but will come in black and have the option of a stereo mic attachment in addition to an add-on electronic viewfinder.
Taiwan's AU Optronics at the FPD International show has been demonstrating a rare 14-inch OLED display panel capable of displaying 1080p (1920x1080). AUO claims a high 100,000:1 contrast ratio despite the size and an all-white brightness of 200cd/m2 for the panel, which is also smooth at 120Hz.
At the FPD International show in Japan, LG has revealed its future plans for OLED TVs and confirmed that its 15-inch OLED HDTV will ship before year's end, as promised earlier. LG's OLED sales and marketing VP, Won Kim says 20-inch and larger OLED panels will be built in 2010, 30-inch and larger models in 2011 and 40-inch displays in 2012. Kim points out OLED TVs will be more expensive than their LCD counterparts in 2012, but expects this will flip by 2016.
A pair of leaks have revealed NVIDIA's Fermi hardware should both be a dramatic visual upgrade and have a quick release of mobile parts. A post today on a Chinese forum shows samples of the graphics chipset that include 3D rendered faces with both extremely high detail as well as particularly complex visual effects, such as natural-looking facial hair or skin glare. One also shows the level of detail possible with relatively fast raytraced lighting.
Verizon this morning became the first provider to offer EpixHD streaming video as part of its service. Those who have both a FiOS Internet connection and a FiOS TV subscription with the Epix TV channel can watch an unlimited amount of movies on the web at up to 720p. About 150 titles will be in rotation online, but the service will emphasize major, recent movies from MGM, Lionsgate and Parmaount; it should scale to include about 15,000 titles both old and new.
Samsung is demonstrating a color 10.1-inch e-paper device at the currently ongoing FPD International show in Japan. The display is also ultra-thin, thanks to integrated circuits in the TFT glass substrate, which is glass. This makes the display rigid, while a plastic color filter and e-paper from E Ink are flexible.
Easypano says it has launched a Mac version of Panorama2Flash. The software batch-publishes images as Flash panoramas, viewable in a fullscreen mode. Easypano claims one-click publishing, and the ability to add top and bottom images. Users can also customize pan, tilt and FOV values for Flash output, along with rotation speed and scene quality.
ASUS has plans to introduce e-book readers that have 3G, Wi-Fi and WiMAX mobile data network access technologies to market this year. CENS on Wednesday reported that the devices will sport expected 9-inch screens but that they will ship to Europe and North America at about the same time. They will also be offered at cellular carriers starting in March of next year, likely at subsidized prices.
The newly unveiled QOOQ is a 10.2-inch tablet PC meant to reside permanently in a family kitchen and provide users with countless recipes and other kitchen help and hints. The French device contains preparation videos, ingredient information and a cooking magazine. It can also connect to the web via an Ethernet port or Wi-Fi connection, though there is no traditional web browser functionality; instead, it uses the online link to update recipes, listen to Internet radio or check weather.
CoreMelt has launched an update to its plug-ins for programs such as Final Cut Studio and After Effects. CoreMelt 2.23 offers five additional plug-ins, for instance allowing "fluid and flowing" graphic elements, shaded backgrounds, and the simpler creation of smooth glass, rough glass or water reflections. The two remaining plug-ins handle strobe transitions and adding CoreMelt masks and frames to a layer.
Leaked images that were not made public reveal the Nintendo Wii will soon get Netflix streaming capabilities, StreamingMedia reported on Wednesday. The source is said to be someone involved with the project, who confirms the development is already in testing stages and the arrival of the service is due fairly soon.
Apple has inadvertently hinted at a major refresh for the Apple TV through an update to its iTunes Store Terms and Conditions. The new agreement, which has shown up in iTunes 9 but isn't yet reflected on Apple's website, references an as yet unreleased Apple TV 3.0 update and says it will enable both iTunes LP and iTunes Extras, both of which so far only work on a computer. The LP standard is already known by AppleInsider to be formatted for 720p and to include HDTV metatags but hasn't had any definite migration plans until today.
Astak has announced the release of a standalone computer camera, the Mole on Wednesday. The wireless Wi-Fi camera can upload videos to YouTube, detect motion and alert users via Twitter or e-mail, and let them see what it sees via an iPhone or web browser. It can also record what it sees onto SD cards.
A less expensive companion to the Olympus E-P1 digital camera, the E-P2, may be officially revealed on October 31st. This is indicated by Olympus' Chinese website, which is already listing the camera. Both the E-P1 and E-P2 rely on the Micro Four Thirds standard.
At the currently ongoing FPD International 2009 in Japan, LG Display and Samsung Mobile Display have shown off two see-through OLED prototype displays. Either display replaces the backing with transparent material, allowing viewers to see what's behind the display with black backgrounds. This is achieved thanks to translucent materials used for the positive and negative electrodes. Both displays are also sandwiched between plates of transparent material.
Eye-Fi on Wednesday said it has added Facebook support to its Wi-Fi enabled digital camera memory cards, letting them upload photos and videos without a PC. At the same time, they can alert their friends on the social networking site when they upload photos to one of more than 25 other photo sharing sites the cards already support.
JVC entered into the low-cost Blu-ray player field on Wednesday through the XV-BP11. It recognizes only Blu-ray Profile 1.1, omitting Internet features, but also measures just 1.5 inches tall. It still carries a front-panel USB connection for plugging in and viewing content from camcorders, digital cameras and USB thumb drives. It natively recognizes AVCHD (H.264) video used in HD camcorders along with recorded Blu-ray, CD and DVD discs.
VIZIO today claimed a small first in HDTVs by launching two small LCDs with LED backlighting. The 19-inch VM190XVT and 23-inch VM230XVT are more color-accurate as a result of the new illumination and are also more energy efficient; they consume less power at peak but also have ambient light sensors to dim the display in dark environments. Each has a display that measures less than one inch at its thinnest point.
Known more lately for its display technology, Bridgestone has just unveiled one of the most advanced e-paper displays yet. The 13-inch screen renders 4,096 colors and also supports touch input. A demo to Tech-On also shows both the display and circuitry to be flexible and capable of bending to a slight but noticeable curve without breaking.
Samsung in a late afternoon update added two crossover computer LCDs to its mix. The 23-inch 2333HD and 19-inch 933HD+ both have built-in HDTV tuners and remotes to double as TVs in tight spaces. Appropriately, they both share 16:9 aspect ratios that avoid black bars for native HD video at either a 720p-friendly 1360x768 (for the 933HD+) or 1080p (for the 2333HD).
Plastic Logic and Barnes & Noble announced a partnership on Tuesday that will see Plastic Logic's QUE proReader e-book reader sold at the latter's stores and on its website. As part of the deal, the QUE proReader will be displayed near Barnes & Noble's own nook e-book reader, on its own free-standing display. Compared to the nook, the QUE is more business-oriented.
