-- For more information read the original article here.
The patent details a camera that is able to be configured to operate in a lower-resolution mode that includes refocusing capability in addition to a high-resolution non-refocusable mode, with the camera's body containing an image mode adaptor to switch between the two.
Also cited in the patent is the plenoptic imaging system used in the Lytro light-field camera, which Apple draws inspiration from but points out that its own microlens array can produce higher-quality images because of a higher spatial resolution. Apple also cites the Lytro's camera system as prior art in the patent.
Microlens (440) inserted into light path for lower-resolution refocusable images
A digital camera system configurable to operate in a low-resolution refocusable mode and a high-resolution non-refocusable mode comprising: a camera body; an image sensor mounted in the camera body having a plurality of sensor pixels for capturing a digital image;
An imaging lens for forming an image -- For more information read the original article here.
Owners can direct Siri to perform a number of specific tasks while they keep their eyes on the road and their hands on the wheel. Using Eyes Free mode, Siri takes hands-free functionality even further and helps minimize distractions by keeping an iOS device's screen from lighting up.
Additional functionality includes:
- Sending text messages and e-mails
- Reading incoming text messages and emails
- Setting up calendar entries, reminders, and alarms
- Checking the weather
- Turn-by-turn voice navigation (when the audio system is set to Bluetooth
I enjoy taking photos of things as they change over time -- the leaves on a small tree, a building as it's being built or my children's faces. The most challenging part of this process is making sure you get the same shot each time. Inevitably, I take multiple shots at different distances with different angles and lose the continuity of the shot. I recently stumbled upon TimeShutter, which helps you keep that consistency between each photo.
TimeShutter is a simple app, but it is effective. The app has a basic camera UI with one important difference -- it has a guideline that is lifted from your last photo or a photo that you choose. It is this guide that is the key to the app's ability to reproduce the same photo over and over again.
All you have to to do to take the next photo in your series is line up the guides from the previous photo and snap away. You can adjust the opacity of the guidelines, allowing you to be as precise as you need. There is also a reminder feature so you don't forget to take your photo on a daily, weekly or monthly basis. -- For more information read the original article here.
One particularly cruel internet prank tricked some (hopefully few) iPhone owners into thinking that iOS 7 somehow made their devices waterproof. That's ridiculous of course, but today LifeProof is launching a case for the iPhone 5s that actually does make the device impervious to water. The case is part of the "nuud" line from LifeProof, and it provides protection from water up to a depth of 6.6ft.
There is no shortage of waterproof cases for the iPhone 5 (or 5s, given that its dimensions are the same), but LifeProof's new protector is the first that is fully compatible with Touch ID, allowing fingerprint sensing through the waterproof layer. But for premium protection, you'll be paying a premium price: The iPhone 5s nuud case will set you back a cool US$89.99.
LifeProof launches first Touch ID-compatible waterproof case for iPhone 5s originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Wed, 27 Nov 2013 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
A third Touch ID-related patent application filed by Apple also quietly surfaced last week (via Unwired View) but has flown under the radar until now because it appears to have published on the World Intellectual Property Organization's database but not the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office's database.
This third patent application is the most revealing yet with regard to Touch ID, showing how Apple has envisioned expanding the feature to incorporate trackpad functionalities, tracking movements of a user's finger or thumb over the sensor to navigate through user interfaces on the device's screen. In one example, Apple shows how a user moving his or her finger right to left across the Touch ID home button could pan a map, with a subsequent upward movement across the home button triggering activation of a multitasking interface.
Panning a map -- For more information read the original article here.
Kansas City residents are getting a second change to sign up for Google Fiber, says Google. The efforts to slowly build out a nationwide, high-speed network where Google acts as an Internet Service provider first began in Kansas City, Mo. around two years ago, before arriving in other markets, like Austin, Texas and Provo, Utah, for example. Now those who live in Google Fiber's initial test market will be able to sign up if they missed their chance the first time around, or have more recently moved into one of the supported neighborhoods.
Starting today through December 22, those living in one of the 180 “fiberhoods” (neighborhoods where Google Fiber is available) in either Kansas City, Kan. or Central Kansas City, Mo. can head over to this website and choose from one of the three packages Google Fiber offers. One of these is the “free internet” package (up to 5 Mbps download/1 Mbps up), which technically costs $25/month in construction fees for the first year, or a one-time payment of $300. There's also the Gigabit Internet package for $70/month or the Gigabit Internet + TV package for $120/month. All plans -- For more information read the original article here.
It's not the Google payments card that has long been planned, but Google is set to announce today that it is releasing a Google Wallet debit card that allows people to pay at stores that accept Mastercard using their Google Wallet balance. Cardholders will also be able to withdraw cash from their Wallet account using ATMs.
With the card, Google isn't going for mass adoption; instead, the card is expected to mainly appeal to a subset of Google Wallet users who have had money transferred to them from another Google Wallet user and don't want to wait a couple of days for the money to appear in their bank account. Once money lands in someone's Google Wallet account, it will connect with the debit card almost instantly.
To some people, that instant access to money will now make Google Wallet's peer-to-peer payments service more attractive than Square Cash, which takes one or two days to deposit funds.
In a blog post, Google said there are no monthly or annual fees associated with the card.
Google has come very close to launching a plastic card in the -- For more information read the original article here.
Google has a new Chrome Experiment out in the wild — or the wilds, if you prefer. The latest is a showcase for the newest web technologies packed into Chrome for mobile devices, although it works on traditional computers as well. And what better or richer world to explore on your mobile device is there then J.R.R. Tolkien's Middle Earth?
Point your Chrome mobile browser to middle-earth.thehobbit.com to explore the Trollshaw Forrest, Rivendell and Dol Guldur with additional locations currently locked. Here's a glimpse of what to expect:
The experiment is comprised of an interactive map of Middle Earth and Google thinks you might be surprised by how it was created:
“It may not feel like it, but this cinematic part of the experience was built with just HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. North Kingdom used the Touch Events API to support multi-touch pinch-to-zoom and the Full Screen API to allow users to hide the URL address bar. It looks natural on any screen size thanks to media queries and feels low-latency because of hardware-accelerated CSS Transitions.”
Similar to prior Chrome Experiments, the idea here is to show what can be done through web technologies; -- For more information read the original article here.