The Inkling digital sketch pen captures a digital likeness of your work while you sketch with its ballpoint tip on any sketchbook or standard piece of paper. Designed for rough concepting and creative brainstorming, Inkling is ideal for the front end of the creative process. Later, refine your work on your computer using an Intuos4 tablet or Cintiq interactive pen display.

In addition to capturing your sketch, stroke by stroke, Inkling allows you to create layers in digital files while you sketch on paper. Digital files are transferred to your computer using the Inkling Sketch Manager software, and later, exported to applications such as Adobe® Photoshop® and Illustrator®. Files can also be opened with the included Inkling Sketch Manager software to edit, delete, add layers or change file formats.

Inkling Specifics

The Inkling digital sketch pen is comprised of both hardware and software components. Hardware includes the pen and a wireless receiver that captures a likeness of the sketch and stores it digitally. The ballpoint pen uses Wacom pressure-sensing technology to detect how hard the pen is being pressed to the paper while sketching. These pressure variations will appear in the digital version of your drawing.

The receiver can be clipped to the edge of standard paper or sketchbooks and the position can be adjusted for left or right handed users to provide the receiver with an uninterrupted line of sight with the pen tip. When sketching is complete, the receiver is connected to the user’s computer via USB to transfer the digital files. Files are opened with the included Inkling Sketch Manager software to manage layers or change file formats before transferring them for adjustment and editing in other creative software applications.

Inkling can store thousands of sketches and can export layered files from the Sketch Manager software directly to Adobe® Photoshop® and Illustrator® (CS3 or newer), as well as Autodesk® Sketchbook Pro (2011 or newer). Alternatively, files can be saved in JPG, BMP, TIFF, PNG, SVG and PDF formats for use with other applications. The pen and receiver store and recharge in a compact case making it easy to transport Inkling between, home, office, meeting rooms or any typical workspace.

Technical Specifications

General

Pen Specifications

Receiver Specifications

Sketch Manager Application

Sharp Develops 3D Camera Module for Mobile Devices Capable of Capturing High-Definition 3D Video Images, an Industry First*1
Key Device to Make 3D Video Readily Available

Press Release

Sharp Corporation has developed a 3D camera module for mobile devices capable of capturing high-definition (720p*2) 3D video images, an industry first. Sharp will start shipping samples in July. Mass production of these modules will begin within 2010.

3D images are composed of two views taken using two cameras that simultaneously capture separate images for the right and left eyes. Consequently, a 3D camera requires peripheral circuitry to apply image processing to the two images, for example, to adjust color or to correct positioning between the images from the two cameras. Manufacturers have thus been pursuing designs that reduce the size and weight of 3D cameras and seeking ways to shorten their development period.

The current 3D camera module developed by Sharp incorporates functions to process the image data output by the left and right cameras, including Color Synchronizing Processing to adjust color and brightness, Timing Synchronizing Processing to synchronize the timing of the video signals, and Optical Axis Control Processing to correct positioning. In addition, Fast Readout Technology rapidly transfers video data from the image sensor, enabling 3D images to be captured in high-resolution HD mode. Further, in developing this camera module, Sharp applied high-density mounting technology nurtured over long years of experience in camera module development to achieve a compact form. Embedding this camera module in mobile devices such as digital cameras, mobile phones, and smartphones will contribute to the development of a wide range of new, innovative communications tools.

In the future, Sharp will be opening up new 3D markets based on 3D display technologies, including small/medium-size and large-size 3D LCDs, as well as on 3D input device technologies such as 3D camera modules.

Sources : engadget

3D camera breaks world record with 158 lenses

Sure, there are viable commercial options for taking photos in three dimensions, but if you really want to capture 3D images (and you happen to be attached to a major university) you can always go the route of Associate Professor Ishino Youzirou and company. The camera that they developed at the Nagoya Institute of Technology sports 158 lenses arranged on an 18.5-inch aluminum arc frame. The school’s combustion engineers will use it to study irregular flames — all the while content in the knowledge that they’ve entered the Guinness Book of World Records for building the camera with the most lenses. This is certainly safer than Youzirou’s other attempt to enter the Guinness book, Most Live Rattlesnakes Held in the Mouth (the record for that, by the way, is ten).

Cambridge’s ProFORMA does 3D scanning with any stationary webcam

Never mind that silly name: ProFORMA (which stands for ‘Probabilistic Feature-based On-line Rapid Model Acquisition’, if you must know) is some cool system that turns any ordinary webcam into a powerful 3D scanning tool. In fact, a camera is pretty much all you need for some “on-line” modeling action — no laser or green screen necessary — meaning the 3D models are constructed on the spot while you slowly rotate the objects, although ProFORMA can also track fast moving objects as shown in the demo video after the break. Fans of machinima should also look into this for their next Warhammer drama series, but don’t say you heard it from us.

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MIT gestural computing makes multitouch look old hat

Ah, the MIT Media Lab, home to Big Bird’s illegitimate progeny, augmented reality projects aplenty, and now three-dimensional gestural computing. The new bi-directional display being demoed by the Cambridge-based boffins performs both multitouch functions that we’re familiar with and hand movement recognition in the space in front of the screen — which we’re also familiar with, but mostly from the movies. The gestural motion tracking is done via embedded optical sensors behind the display, which are allowed to see what you’re doing by the LCD alternating rapidly (invisible to the human eye, but probably not to human pedantry) between what it’s displaying to the viewer and a pattern for the camera array. This differs from projects like Natal, which have the camera offset from the display and therefore cannot work at short distances, but if you want even more detail, you’ll find it in the informative video after the break.

Latest SixthSense demo features paper ‘laptop,’ camera gestures

We’ve already seen MIT researcher Pranav Mistry’s SixthSense projector-based augmented-reality system in some cool demos, but he just gave a TED talk and his latest ideas are the wildest yet. Forget simple projections, he’s moved on to taking photos by just making a box with your fingers, identifying books and products on store shelves and projecting reviews and other information on them, projecting flight schedules on boarding passes, and even a new paper “laptop” concept that works by using a microphone on the paper to sense when you’re touching it. It’s pretty amazing stuff — check out his whole talk at the read link.

Marvell’s Armada chip bringing ‘HD-quality video, 3D graphics support’ to Entourage Edge

We already knew that a potent Marvell chip was under the hood of Spring Design’s Alex, but at long last the mystery surrounding the powerhouse within Entourage’s Edge is no more. The Armada PXA168 processor will be responsible for steering the world’s first “Dualbook” through the stormy seas that’ll be created once crazed consumers get ahold of this thing, and while we’ve no idea if the software will actually support this laundry list of capabilities, the chip should have no issue with “full-featured web browsing, multi-format video and image processing.” More specifically, we’re informed that “HD-quality video and 3D graphics” will be supported, which could obviously lead to some pretty interesting applications (you know, like actual web surfing on an e-reader). Hop on past the break for a brief look at an early generation model as well as a functioning version of what should hopefully hit shelves in early 2010.

When we first caught wind of HDI’s “world’s first laser-based 3D HDTV,” we were cautiously hopeful that it’d be ready to go (at least as a prototype) at CES 2010. Looks like we may actually get our wish, as the company has today announced that its magical set has reached the manufacturing stage. What’s it all mean? It means that the set is being fast-tracked for release in 2010, meaning that you’re just months away from having stereoscopic 1,920 x 1,080 content in your living room… provided there’s actually any programming to view, that is. Of course, it’ll handle the 2D stuff too, and the twin RGP LCoS micro-display imagers in there ought to provide plenty of crisp imagery regardless of the source. We’re still not sure if the Woz-approved 100-inch version that’s being shown to curious onlookers is the size that’ll be pumped out to the mainstream, but we’re hoping for at least a few smaller siblings for those of us with last names other than Kennedy, Gates, Buffet and Ellison.

PRESS RELEASE

HDI Ltd. Begins Manufacturing of High-Definition Laser-Driven 2D/3D Televisions
Low-Cost, Extremely Energy Efficient 100-inch Diagonal Displays Fast-Tracked for 2010

October 28, 2009 – Los Gatos, CA – HDI Ltd. announces it has entered into a manufacturing agreement to mass produce their proprietary 100-inch diagonal Laser-Driven 2D/3D Switchable Dynamic Video Projection Televisions. HDI Ltd.’s 2D/3D switchable system delivers a stunningly superior 2D image, with a 50% greater resolution than today’s digital cinemas, and derives its greater-than-high definition stereoscopic 1920 x 1080p “3D” image quality from two RGB laser-illuminated Liquid Crystal on Silcon (LCOS) micro display imagers. At full 1080p HD, the HDI Ltd. screen refreshes at 360 fields per-second on each eye, the fastest refresh rate on any mass produced television or projector.

HDI Ltd. has completely eliminated the adverse effects, such as migraines, dizziness, nausea, and motion sickness, long associated with inferior and expensive shutter glasses and substandard 3D technology. HDI Ltd. delivers the most immersive, comfortable, and natural 3D viewing experience in the world with low-cost and light-weight proprietary polarized glasses. Technology journalist Richard Hart called HDI Ltd.’s picture quality, “the smoothest yet, and smoothness means no headaches,” and Steve Wozniak, co-founder of Apple Computers, stated, “Without a doubt, the best demonstration of 3D technology I have ever seen.”

In addition, HDI Ltd. displays draw 80% less power than existing 2D plasma displays of the same size, offer a 95% reduction in manufacturing pollution, and a 100% reduction in harmful chemicals and radioactive components currently used in existing televisions. At 10-inches thick, HDI’s 100-inch diagonal display weighs 75% less than equivalent Plasma and LCD displays, and is anticipated to have a street price potentially 60% less than current 2D flatscreen Plasma and LCD displays.

HDI’s September 2009 announcement of their potential new standard for switchable 2D/3D television technology came on the same day several major manufactures announced plans to release new energy-guzzling plasma televisions with 3D capabilities via shutter glasses, all of which featured price tags as much as 100% or more than current 2D televisions.

HDI Ltd. quickly caught the interest of the consumer electronics industry and, as reported on Variety.com, top execs, engineers and S3D experts from six of the eight leading television manufactures recently crowded together into HDI Ltd.’s tiny Los Gatos lab to see their prototype 100-inch, rear-projection S3D television.
David Cohen of Variety.com reported, “HDI’s approach shows the promise of laser-driven 3D TV could be a reality surprisingly soon,” and Sean Portnoy of ZDNet said, “We could be looking at a Holy Grail of sorts for the next generation of television.”

According to co-founder Ingemar Jansson, “The first production-run of 100-inch HDI Ltd. 2D/3D switchable displays should quickly put product into a multitude of B2B and public demonstration venues.” He’s mum as to when leading American retailers will be able to put units into homes, but stresses that the simplistic and inexpensive design and manufacturing techniques required to produce HDI Ltd. televisions, “will have product in the marketplace faster than one would expect,” and adds, “either with the HDI logo or that of another leading manufacturer.”

Offering a thought on the fact that California appears poised to be the first state to ban power-guzzling big-screen TVs, Jansson states, “In light of the energy efficient products emerging from companies such as Apple, the lobbying efforts of the Consumer Electronics Association strikes me as almost criminal in promoting antiquated technologies that the ‘Grid,’ and the planet, simply cannot sustain.”

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Synopsis: EVGA‘s Interview Dual Monitor System incorporates a pair of 17″ widescreen LCDs with an innovative rotatable stand that allows the user to flip a panel over to share a desktop display with someone sitting across from them on the other side of the desk.  These twin TFT displays support a native resolution of 1440X900 and rotate 180 degrees vertically and 90 degrees horizontally.  They will also re-orientate themselves depending on which direction they are flipped, in order to provide the correct viewing orientation for the user that is facing the display.  The system also comes with a three port USB hub and an integrated web cam for web conferencing on the system.  At a retail price of $649.99, you’re going to pay a premium over a pair of discrete 17″ LCDs but in return you’re treated with design elegance, flexibility and configurability of these monitors for collaboration or a clean multi-monitor setup in a small workspace.

Remember gCubik? It’s been a few months, but to recap, it’s a cube developed by researchers from NICT that features textured surfaces that present you a different view on the “internal” image based on viewing angle, giving the illusion something is physically in the box. Theoretically, at least — it’s pretty low-resolution and in the early stages of development. We stumbled upon the device at the CEATEC showfloor this week and decided to snap some video while there. There were moments when the effect was lost, and getting too close completely blurred what we saw to the point of incomprehension, but again, this shows a whole heap of potential that’s fascinating to us. See it for yourself after the break.

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CEATEC is a breeding ground for new innovations, and Hitachi made sure to get its name on the A-list with a simple face-recognizing television that seeks to save power whenever you glance away. Essentially, the prototype plasma on display packs an inbuilt camera that notices when your face is peering at it, and whenever you glance away, a power-saving mode goes into action. Unfortunately, that means that the panel goes black, and while we understand the point here, we can envision such a feature causing all sorts of rage around the house, particularly if you’ve got a handful of viewers trying to keep watch from a few feet further away than yourself. Hit the read link to have a look at how things work in practice — here’s hoping you can opt for the sound to stay on throughout the blackout, at least.

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For your $380 you get not one but two Tachyon XC helmet cameras, which individually go for $180. Each packs a somewhat disappointing VGA (640 x 480) image sensor behind a 90-degree wide-angle lens, all wrapped in a durable plastic case that we have no doubt would survive a harder tumble than you. On top is a tiny, one-inch LCD that gives you a quick readout on storage space remaining, battery life, what quality mode you’re in, and is also used to make failed attempts to set the internal clock — not a fun task, believe you us.

Three buttons live beneath the screen, the biggest being the most important: Start/Stop. This should be preferably be pressed sometime before the action begins (the important “hold my beer” phase) and then again sometime after it ends (right around when someone mentions calling an ambulance). Smaller power and menu buttons sit beneath that, all three of which require a disconcerting amount of pressure to activate; you really need to push hard to get anything to register, so thank goodness a tiny remote is included. It’s much easier to press and is more or less necessary for filming in 3D (we’ll explain why later), but sadly can’t turn the cameras either on or off, neither can you strap it on your wrist, and since it has a range of no more than a foot in sunlight, well, it’s not as useful as you might hope.

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Elliptic Labs is back on the scene with another demo of its touchless UI. This time ’round the company’s teamed up with Opera and presents us with a much more polished affair, not to mention a couple technical details. According to CEO Stian Aldrin, the device is based on ultrasound, tracks the hand itself (no reflector or sensor necessary), has a range of one foot, and has been designed to be either embedded in any electronic device (including a cellphone) or to connect to devices via USB. The company’s current demo shows the technology being used to flip through photos in an Opera widget. Sure, a couple simple one-gesture commands isn’t exactly “pulling all the stops,” as far as a proof-of-concept goes, but we’re looking forward to seeing what this company comes up with in the future. Peep for yourself after the break.

More than two decades ago, Fujifilm was one of the first camera manufacturers to see the future of photography was digital. In 1988, the Japanese imaging giant developed the world’s first fully digital still camera; 10 years ago Fujifilm held 30% of the digicam market. But that dominant position proved difficult to defend against competitors such as Nikon, Olympus and Canon. Today, Fujifilm is one of the industry’s also-rans, with just a 6.7% market share.

There’s one way to get back into the game: invent new rules. That’s just what Fujifilm plans to do later this year when it unveils the world’s first 3-D digital camera for consumers. The company hopes that its groundbreaking new gadget — tentatively named the FinePix Real 3D System — will allow it to leapfrog the competition by bringing 3-D capabilities to the masses, at the same time putting a little buzz back into the business of taking snapshots.

I got a look at Fujifilm’s prototype 3-D camera last month at the company’s Tokyo headquarters, and was pleasantly surprised that it was not much bigger or heavier than some conventional digicams. The most obvious difference is that Fuji’s 10-megapixel shooter employs two lenses, spaced about the same distance apart as human eyes, which allow for the taking of simultaneous photos of the same scene from different angles. This is where the 3-D magic originates. When two slightly different images are presented discretely to the right and left eyes of a viewer, that person’s brain combines them into a single image, resulting in a stereoscopic illusion of depth.

In the past, special viewing accessories such as 3-D glasses or stereoscopes were needed for this to work. Not so with Fujifilm’s system, which offers two viewing options. One is a 3-D digital picture frame — an eight-inch (20 cm) LCD screen that directs the dual images to the left and right eyes, creating the 3-D effect. The other option is 3-D prints, which are made with a clear plastic overlay that acts as a kind of 3-D lens. Fujifilm plans to launch an online service that will make 3-D prints for consumers.

Both methods produce snapshots in which the central subjects appear to pop off the screen or print. A parlor trick? Perhaps, but Fujifilm is gambling that consumers will not only be willing to pay for such special effects, but they’ll also pay extra. When the camera debuts in Japan this summer and in the U.S. and Europe in September, it will cost around $600, roughly twice the price of conventional digital cameras. The picture frame will cost several hundred dollars, too; Fuji isn’t sure yet how much to charge for 3-D prints. “We know that if it’s over 500 yen [$5] per photo, it probably won’t sell,” says Takeshi Higuchi, general manager of Fujifilm’s Electronic Imaging Division.

Failure in the nascent field won’t break the company. Fujifilm has other businesses such as medical imaging and motion-picture film, and only gets about 5% of its total revenue from its digital camera business. But company officials figure the bet could pay off handsomely if 3-D catches on and Fujifilm, which holds numerous patents on the technology, has a head start. Just standing still isn’t a very appealing strategy. The digital-camera market is stagnating. About 128 million digicams were sold last year, and amid the recession, sales are expected to shrink this year, according to Hisashi Moriyama, senior analyst at JPMorgan Securities in Tokyo. The U.S., Europe and Japan are near market saturation with about 80% to 90% penetration, meaning as many as 9 out of 10 consumers already have digital cameras, says Moriyama.

For new growth, manufacturers must increasingly look to emerging markets like China and to green fields like 3-D. Industry analysts are excited by the prospects of the new display technology. More 3-D movies are being made, and makers of flat-panel TVs are developing 3-D displays. “Every kind of consumer product has the potential to start to use 3-D technology,” says Moriyama, who estimates Fuji’s camera could capture as much as 5% of the digicam market in the next year or two. “It’s a long-term technological trend,” he says.

Will 3-D supersede plain vanilla snapshots? Probably not, analysts say — but that doesn’t mean it won’t become a significant business. Many consumers may choose to own both 2-D and 3-D digicams. “Video has shown us there’s room for more than one camera in anyone’s house,” says Gary Pageau, publisher of PMA, an international photography and imaging trade association. “Consumers won’t want every picture to be 3-D, but if the results are good enough, they can add it to the pictures they are already taking.” Fujifilm could certainly benefit from the extra dimension.

Source : http://www.time.com

We’ve seen cables, controllers, drivers and years of promises, and it looks like we now finally have some pictures of the first official USB 3.0 motherboard out in the wild. That milestone comes courtesy of ASUS, which looks to have gone all out (or as far out as motherboards can go) with its new P6X58 Premium model. As you can see above, it packs a pair of easily identifiable USB 3.0 ports and three standard USB 2.0 ports, along with accommodations for a Core i7 processor, six DDR3 memory slots, three PCI-Express 2.0 slots, and plenty of other standard fare. Still no word on a price or release date, unfortunately, and the folks at Xfastest unsurprisingly weren’t able to provide any benchmarks or the like, considering that there isn’t much in the way of actual USB 3.0 gear to test it with just yet.

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We’ve been toying with a VholdR ContourHD helmet cam for a few weeks now, seeing how well it blends in with our adrenaline-fueled lifestyle. We’ve mounted it on various helmets, tried it with some moderately extreme endeavors, and, now that we’ve had a chance to refill our asthma inhalers, we thought we’d share a few of those adventures and give our impressions of this helmet-mounted HD shooter.

First the important numbers: the $299 cam shoots 720p video at 30fps through a 135 degree wide-angle lens, or can be set to capture 858 x 480 video at 60fps if things are going to get really fast-paced. It features a microSD card slot and ships with a 2GB card to start, upon which it will dump H.264-encoded video, and also includes not one but two batteries, meaning a full day at the races should be no problem.

The body itself is durable, made of aluminum, is water-resistant, and interestingly the entire internals of the camera rotate through 192 degrees, meaning regardless of how you mount this thing you can get video that’s right-side-up — or at some crazy angle if you’re so inclined. The only problem we had with construction was with a flimsy internal latch which occasionally didn’t hold the battery tight enough to make solid contact. A removal and re-insertion fixed that in most cases, but we’re wondering how that clip will hold up in the long run.

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Video

This morning LG announced their latest Full HD 23” 3D LCD with enhanced brightness (twice as bright as a conventional 3D LCD), giving LG the possibility to acclaim a world’s first. Make sure to check the video below…

Priceless, especially the end.

Seoul, Korea (May 27, 2009) – LG Display Co., Ltd. [NYSE: LPL, KRX: 034220], a leading innovator of thin-film transistor liquid crystal display (TFT-LCD) technology, announced today that it has succeeded in developing a Full HD 23-inch 3D LCD panel with enhanced brightness for monitors.

The 3D panel employs LG Display’s proprietary technology to realize Full HD images with twice the brightness of conventional 3D LCD panels. The product boasts the world’s highest brightness among 3D displays.

3D LCDs apply time-sequential technologies so that the right and left eyes see different images. This makes the images look three-dimensional for human eye. In conventional 3D LCDs, the technologies were generally installed outside the panel or into the viewing glasses.

However LG Display embedded most of the 3D technologies directly in the panel, which enabled this product to make 3D viewing brighter and overcome the previous technical limitations. Specifically, 3D viewing is possible with low-priced polarized glasses translating into economical benefits for the consumers, while conventional 3D LCD panels usually require special viewing glasses, which are costlier.

Cube already caught us off guard last month with a 1080i-capable PMP, and this month it’s outdoing itself once more. The H200D has yet to be fully detailed, but we do know that it’ll rock an expansive touchscreen, an HDMI output, RMVB support and arrive in red, blue or grey. Too bad it’ll take a flight to China to ever find one, but here’s hoping someone over on US soil takes a hint.

Sony has announced the development of a “coin-sized” high definition camera module.

Designed for use in security and industry, the 8.3-megapixel effort is smaller than a £1coin measuring in at 9.5 x 7.1mm.

The “MCB1172″ from Sony Europe’s Image Sensing Solutions Division is capable of delivering 720p, 30fps video and includes movie stabilisation, face detection, autofocus and motion autofocus.

There’s also a high sensitivity mode and a slow-mo function, delivering 120fps as well as the option of 16x zoom.

Now available for mass production, products with the module in will likely hit the business markets later this year.