Sunday, 17 March 2013

Photo Pin - Royalty-free Image Search

Photo Pin is a new website offering images that can be re-used for blog entries, video productions, slideshows, and print media. Photo Pin uses a combination of Flickr's API for Creative Commons search and Fotolia's image library to serve-up royalty-free images. The search results page on Photo Pin clearly delineates between images that are free to use and images that you have to purchase.



Applications for Education
If you're looking for a new way to find Creative Commons-licensed images for yourself or your students, Photo Pin could be a good option for you. I like that Photo Pin offers a clear reminder to users that they must correctly link to the sources of the images that they choose to use.

Saturday, 2 March 2013

Galaxy Note 8.0 vs. Nexus 7

We compare the specs - and other features - of the Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0 and Google/Asus...


After several years of the 9.7-inch iPad dominating tablet sales, we’ve seen a shift. Customers are gravitating more toward smaller (and cheaper) 7 to 8-inch slates. Two of today’s top choices in that bracket are the Google/Asus Nexus 7 and Samsung’s new Galaxy Note 8.0. Read on, as we compare the specs – and other features – of these two mini tablets.

Size

The Note's surface is larger, but the Nexus 7 is thicker
The Galaxy Note 8.0 has a larger surface, but is significantly thinner than the Nexus 7.

Weight

Weight is just about even
The two tablets weigh roughly the same, with the Nexus 7 tipping the scale just a hair more than the Note 8.

Display

The Note 8 gives you an extra inch of screen, but the Nexus 7's will be sharper
Samsung’s display sits in the 8-inch range that many iPad mini customers enjoy. If you can sacrifice that (diagonal) inch of real estate, the Nexus 7’s screen should appear sharper.

Processor

The Note's Exynos chip should offer better performance, but neither tablet will have probl...
Both tablets sport quad core processors. The Note’s offers better performance, but for everyday use, both will more than suffice.

RAM

The Note doubles the Nexus' 1 GB of RAM
The Galaxy Note 8.0 doubles the Nexus 7’s 1 GB of random-access memory (RAM).

Storage

The Note offers more storage, along with expandable microSD card support
The storage edge goes to Samsung’s tablet. It offers larger internal flash memory options, as well as SD card support. The Nexus 7 doesn’t have a microSD slot.

Wireless

Both tablets come in cellular data models, but the Note's has faster LTE
If you’re looking for a Wi-Fi only device, both deliver. As far as (more expensive) mobile data options go, the Note has LTE and the Nexus 7 settles for HSPA+.

Cameras

The Nexus 7 has no camera on its backside
Megapixels aren’t everything, but Samsung clearly wins this round. The Nexus 7 has no rear camera.

Battery

The Galaxy Note 8.0 holds a bit more juice
You’ll always want to take battery capacity with grains of salt, as many other factors combine to determine actual uptime. With that said, the Note 8.0’s battery holds a bit more juice.

Intangibles

S Pen stylus, or great price? (dollar image: Shutterstock)
After several years where its Galaxy Tabs met lackluster sales, Samsung has found more success with its Galaxy Note line of tablets and "phablets." Its marketing angle centers around the Note's stylus input, and the creativity and fine-tuned-input that it (supposedly) allows.
The Galaxy Note 8.0’s stylus (S Pen) sees some upgrades, with greater integration into the Note’s Touchwiz software. Unsheathe the stylus, and the Note will prepare for pen input. Hover the S Pen over the screen, and select apps will respond accordingly (like previewing a post in Flipboard).
The Nexus 7’s X-factor is its price. We don’t yet know how much the Galaxy Note 8.0 will cost, but it won’t likely meet the Nexus 7’s affordable US$200 starting price. Expect something more in the range of the iPad mini’s $330 for the Note.
The Galaxy Note 8 runs Android 4.1.2 Jellybean (with Samsung’s Touchwiz UI sitting on top). The Nexus 7, meanwhile, not only ships with the newest version of Android (4.2.2, Jellybean). It will also get future updates muchquicker than Samsung’s tablet will. The Nexus 7 also sports “pure” (unskinned) Android, which many customers prefer over manufacturer UIs.

Wrap-up

Many of these comparisons reveal either two very similar devices, or one clear winner for most shoppers. Here, though, we have two divergent paths:
The Nexus 7 offers a sharper display, a more compact build, and pure Android. Its rock-bottom price doesn’t hurt either.
The Galaxy Note 8.0, though, delivers a larger screen, a thinner form factor, and a faster chip. Some customers may also find its stylus to be a perk.

"Airwriting" glove turns arm-waving into text messaging

In the airwriting system, a sensor-equipped glove is used to identify letters drawn in the...
If you’re one of the many people who hate poking at the tiny virtual keys on smartphone keyboards, then you might like the experimental “airwriting” glove system created by a team of computer scientists at Germany’s Karlsruhe Institute of Technology. When the glove’s wearer draws letters in the air with their hand, the system can identify which letters are being drawn. Those letters are converted into digital text, which could then be input into an email, text message, or any other type of mobile app.

The glove is able to detect hand movements via integrated accelerometers and gyroscopes. That data is wirelessly transmitted to a computer, which starts by using pattern recognition software to determine if the movements are actually the result of airwriting, or if the user is simply doing something such as cooking.
Once it’s determined that letters are indeed being drawn, the computer then sets about identifying the individual letters. The program incorporates statistical models of the unique signal patterns for every letter in the alphabet, and can account for differences in individual writing styles. It can also recognize approximately 8,000 words (as long as they’re drawn in all-capital letters), along with complete sentences.
So far, the system has an error rate of 11 percent – that drops to three percent, however, once it picks up on a specific user’s style of airwriting.
Doctoral student Christoph Amma, who developed the technology, now hopes to miniaturize the sensors to the point that the glove could be replaced by something less impractical to everyday use, such as a wrist band. Alternatively, he also envisions the hardware being incorporated into a smartphone – in that way, a single hand-held device (the phone) could be used both to detect hand movements, and to process the data.
Airwriting technology could additionally be used to interface with mixed-reality devices such as Google Glass, claims Amma, eliminating the need for any extra device with a touchscreen or virtual keyboard.

Rollei introduces Rubik's-Cube-like pico projector

Rollei IC200C
German manufacturer Rollei and Korea's SK Telecom have teamed up to develop the Innocube – a small, lightweight pico projector designed to pull images from a smartphone or tablet and beam them onto a wall at a size of up to 60 inches.
Billed as the world's smallest pico projector (a claim some manufacturers, including Samsung, would certainly contend), the Innocube measures 1.8 x 1.8 x 1.8 inches (45 x 45 x 46 mm) and weighs 4.6 oz. (129 g). Its cube design makes it look more like a mini-speaker in the silver-and-black IC200T version or a mini Rubik's Cube in the IC200C multi-colored model.
The Innocube uses a 2300 mAh lithium-polymer battery and LED to pull images from a smartphone or tablet and beam them onto a wall or screen. It can create images of up to 60 inches (152 cm) with a 4:3 aspect ratio. It packs 35 ANSI lumens of brightness, VGA (640 x 480) resolution and an 800:1 contrast ratio. The battery is said to run for up to 120 minutes, and the LED construction is good for more than 10,000 hours of burn time.
The Innocube is designed to work with all types of mobile devices, including laptops, tablets and smartphones. The IC200T version will go on sale in March in Europe with a retail price of €299.95 (approx. US$392). The Rubik's Cube-looking IC200C will follow in April for €329.95 (approx. $432).

Rumor points to 4.5-inch polycarbonate iPhone in 2014

An alleged supply chain leak points to a 4.5-inch budget iPhone in 2014
Apple’s secrecy has its advantages. One of the biggest is the endless stream of rumors and speculation that keep the company in the spotlight year-round. In addition to the iWatch and the iTV, one of the trendiest Apple rumors right now is the fabled budget iPhone. A recent report out of Japan claims to have some new details about the alleged product.
According to Macotakara, Apple is working on an iPhone with a 4.5-inch display and a polycarbonate build. The handset would supposedly have a build similar to the old white MacBook (which Apple put to rest in 2011, cannibalized by the MacBook Air).
The polycarbonate iPhone is said to have a thicker build than the iPhone 5, but would otherwise retain standard iPhone features like a home button below the screen.
The report also claims to know Apple’s targeted pricing for the iPhone, saying its off-contract price will match the iPad mini’s US$330. This would place it squarely in “budget iPhone” territory, and could help Apple to fare better in China and prepaid markets.

Many grains of salt

Take all Apple rumors with many grains of salt (salt image: Shutterstock) (Apple logo: Wik...
As with all Apple rumors, you’ll want to take this with many grains of salt. Apple’s supply chain produces its share of leaks, but there’s at least as much nonsense floating around as there is legit information. You often don’t know which is which until Tim Cook and company take the stage to announce the product.
We’re especially skeptical of the bit about the budget iPhone’s expected pricing. Even if Apple were preparing prototypes of the iPhone, how would the suppliers know pricing a year in advance? Suppliers aren't going to get anything but absolutely essential information from a secretive company like Apple.