Saturday, May 8, 2010

Nokia Offical Releases N8 Mobile Phone

Nokia today unveiled the N8, the first handset from the Finnish company to use both the Symbian 3 operating system and the Qt cross-platform application framework. Although the physical hardware of the N8 is attractive, the Symbian 3 software is more important to Nokia future. The company falling status as a market leader is largely due to its reliance on an old interface not fully optimized for touch, so Symbian 3 represents Nokia best chance to prove that it can still reign atop the smartphone world.
The N8 touchscreen supports multitouch navigation and gestures, the ability to run multiple programs simultaneously and social network status updates directly from the home screen. With a 12-megapixel camera and Carl Zeiss optics, consumers can use the N8 to create and edit HD-quality video recordings, which can be shared or viewed on a television by connecting the N8 with a cable.
The N8 marks Nokia largest undertaking to recapture lost smartphone market share which has dropped to 39 percent from over 50 percent just two years ago . Some of that loss has come at the hands of newer mobile operating systems, such as those from Apple (a aapl) and Google. As competitors created new platforms and user interfaces, Nokia relied heavily on its aging Symbian S60 system.
The screen on the Nokia N8 will sport the nHD resolution (360 x 640), which so far is the only resolution used by Nokia for their touch-enabled Symbian phones. The screen has 24 bits per pixel so that would make it capable of displaying 16 million colors.The XML covers the connectivity - GPRS, EDGE, 3G with HSDPA, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. GPS is not mentioned but chances that the Nokia N8 won't have GPS are slim to none. The CPU is a secret too - it's an ARM processor, but that's not saying anything.

Dell Releases Alienware M11X First Ultraportable Gaming Netbook

Alienware M11X Gaming Netbook was introduced in the Consumer Electronics Show 2010 at Las Vegas. Alienware M11X Netbook is a new gaming device released by Alienware, a daughter company of Dell, Incorporated. The Alienware M11X netbook offers portability to avoid bulky gaming PC. The M11X netbook is smaller compared to the Alienware M15X and Alienware M17x which are full-sized laptops.The Alienware M11X Netbook or Dell Alienware M11X Gaming Netbook was presented at the International Consumer Electronics Show 2010 (CES 2010) held at Las Vegas, Nevada. Invited guess had the privilege to get their hands-on gaming on the Alienware M11X Netbook.
Alienware M11x has an Intel Core 2 U7300 ultra-low voltage processor, the same kind you see in thin-and-light notebooks. It also has an 11.6-inch screen, an NVidia GT335M switchable graphics card and a red-on-black design that screams Crysis nerd.Alienware says the claimed 6.5 hours of battery life applies to the integrated graphics mode, and you only get around two hours of serious gaming on a charge.
Dell has decided to let folks pre-order the machine on its site. which includes an Intel Pentium SU4100 1.3GHz processor, 2GB of DDR3 RAM, a 160GB hard drive, and Windows 7 Home Premium. Most notable is the new nVidia GeForce GT 335M graphics card with 1GB of graphics memory, which will power the 11.6-inch LED-backlit display. Dell claims that the M11x will deliver the graphics power of a 15-inch laptop in an 11-inch form factor

Thursday, May 6, 2010

Google acquires 3D software pioneer to take on Apple

Google Monday snapped up a top Canadian startup which pioneered a 3D interface technology for Mac and Windows PCs.Called Canada's hottest software startup, Toronto-based BumpTop has been acquired by the search engine for reportedly between $30 and $45 million, according to reports. However, there were no details of the deal by the two sides.
Set up just three years ago, BumpTop has pioneered touch-screen software that allows use of multiple fingers at a time on a multiple touch screen.
Called ‘desktop workspace,’ the software allows users to organise pictures, documents and videos much more intuitively. Users can perform many functions with their fingers, including dragging of items into docks, and playing around with photos on desktop.
Though Google has not specified how its will use this pioneering technology, it is certain that it will use touch-screen software in its smart phones based on its Android operating system.Since its Android operating system is basically geared for touch-screen technology, rather than keyboard technology, Google's mobile market strategy is aimed at taking on Apple's iPhone and iPad that use touch screen technology.The acquired Toronto company will no longer sell its software independently after May 7.In a statement on its website Monday, it said, “Today, we have a big announcement to make: we're excited to announce that we’ve been acquired by Google! This means that BumpTop (for both Windows and Mac) will no longer be available for sale. Additionally, no updates to the products are planned.”

Wednesday, May 5, 2010

NEW STILL FROM DAY & NIGHT

I’m excited to be the first place in the world to debut this exclusive still from writer/director Teddy Newton’s new short, Day & Night. This still really shows off the 2D characters of Day & Night and the 3D images inside. The short will make its debut alongside Toy Story 3 on June 18th in North America. Day & Night is produced by Kevin Reher with music by Michael Giacchino.

To refresh your memory, here’s the summary of the short:
When Day, a sunny fellow, encounters Night, a stranger of distinctly darker moods, sparks fly! Day and Night are frightened and suspicious of each other at first, and quickly get off on the wrong foot. But as they discover each other’s unique qualities–and come to realize that each of them offers a different window onto the same world–the friendship helps both to gain a new perspective.You can see how the 3D images are placed inside the 2D characters, Night and Day. This looks absolutely incredible in stereoscopic 3-D, by the way.
The site also published a new portrait photo of director Teddy Newton, taken by Pixar's in-house photographer, Deborah Coleman.

Review: Photoshop CS5 and CS5 Extended

Updates come and go, but when it comes to Photoshop CS5 and CS5 Extended, Adobe put forth a Herculean effort to improve both functionality and user experience. This release brings the much-anticipated 64-bit compatibility to the Mac version of the image editor, as well as hundreds of feature requests from the Photoshop community at large. For example, you can now drag and drop files from your desktop into an open Photoshop document (they land on their own layer), change the opacity or fill of multiple layers at once, save your favourite layer style settings as defaults, and more. But this release showcases many new features, as well. The new Content-Aware Fill option makes removal of unwanted objects in photos a snap and the Puppet Warp tool lets you move parts of objects within your image. The brush engine also got its first major overhaul in years, featuring realistic brush tips as well as a Mixer Brush that lets you turn photos into paintings.

Other enhancements include a redesigned Refine Edge dialogue box whose new Smart Radius feature makes selecting things like hair and fur easier than ever before; and an improved Lens Correction filter that utilises camera profiles that you download or create yourself. Merging multiple exposures into one also got easier with the new Merge to HDR Pro option, and the list goes on. Add it all up and you’ve got an upgrade that’s not only worth the cost, it’s one you can’t afford to skip.

64-bit enabled
To say that the programming team had its hands full in making Photoshop 64-bit compatible is an understatement — the program had to be rewritten from the ground up. For end users, this means Photoshop can now open and edit super-huge files — those over 4GB — as well as utilise more memory (RAM), the latter making the program feel zippier. However, the speed increase is barely noticeable if you’re running OS X 10.5 (Leopard), though more so in OS X 10.6 (Snow Leopard). That said, if you’re the proud parent of one of the newest Macs (with faster video cards), the program should run faster.
Unfortunately, to accommodate the new programming code that allows for 64-bit processing, some plug-ins and filters — the built-in Variations and Lighting Effects, for example — only work in 32-bit mode, and that surely will disappoint some users. Moreover, most third-party plug-ins too will work only in 32-bit mode, until they are updated. Thankfully, it’s easy (though not especially convenient) to switch between the 32-bit and 64-bit versions of the program; just select the application icon, choose File->Get Info, turn on the 32-bit option, and relaunch Photoshop.

Content-Aware Fill

One of the most useful new features in this new version is Content-Aware Fill, which works with the Spot Healing Brush and Edit->Fill command. Based on the same technology that makes Content-Aware Scale possible, this option makes zapping unwanted content from photos quick and easy. It works by comparing your selection or brush stroke to nearby pixels and then filling the selected area so it blends seamlessly with the background. It works unbelievably well.The new Content-Aware Fill option makes short work of deleting unwanted content from your photos. Here the Spot Healing brush was used to remove the drummer from the boy band (it also works with the Edit->Fill command). Photo credit: iStockphoto.com


Refine Edge enhancements

Another exciting new feature is the much-improved Refine Edge dialogue box. It now sports several options for refining selections and makes selecting tough stuff (such as hair and fur) incredibly easy. For example, the new Smart Radius option detects the difference between soft and hard edges and the new Decontaminate Colours option all but eliminates any leftover pixels from the object’s original background. You can also control the destination of the new selection — the current layer, a new layer, a layer mask, a new layer with a mask, a new document, and so on — from within the Refine Edge dialogue box. You also get seven preview options, instead of five.

Lens Correction and HDR

Photographers will appreciate the upgraded Lens Correction filter and its new home: it leapt out the Distort filter category into the main level of the Filter menu. The Lens Correction dialogue box now lets you download (or create your own) specific camera and lens profiles so its distortion-removing voodoo works better — and the annoying grid option is off so you can actually see your image while you’re tweaking it. The camera and lens profiles are also used by other features, such as Auto-Align Layers, Merge to HDR Pro, and PhotoMerge for panoramas. If you’re a fan of HDR photography — taking multiple exposures and merging them into a single image — you’ll love Photoshop CS5’s new Merge to HDR Pro dialog box. Not only was the HDR feature redesigned so it’s easier to use, but it includes several useful presets for creating beautiful images right out of the box. The programming code was revamped so Photoshop merges your images faster, and a de-ghosting option was added, which is helpful if something in your image moved or shifted between shots. You can also apply HDR settings to normal images by using the new HDR Toning option in the Image->Adjustments menu, though don't expect to create much more than a high-contrast, grunge look similar to the movie 300.



Camera Raw 6.0
The newest version of the Camera Raw plug-in now includes better noise reduction for zapping grain introduced by shooting in low light at a high light sensitivity setting (ISO). Other enhancements include more options for adding post-crop vignettes (such as a soft, darkened edge) and improved sharpening that pays attention to an image’s tone, contrast, and fine details.After making a rough selection with the Quick Selection tool, you can use the improved Refine Edge dialogue box (left) to fine-tune your selection. You can also give it extra help by painting over super soft areas (like the horse's mane) with the Refine Radius tool (top left), in order to create a beautiful composite (bottom right). Photo credit: iStockphoto.com



Improved painting tools
Photoshop’s painting engine got an overhaul in CS5, which improves performance any time you’re using a brush cursor, no matter the tool. The new Bristle Tips feature makes brushes behave like their real-world counterparts, letting you create more natural paint strokes. A new Brush Preset panel lets you see what the new bristles look like before you use them, and the new Mixer Brush lets you mix colours right there on your Photoshop canvas. You can even determine how wet the canvas is, how much paint you’re mixing from canvas to brush, and how many colours you want to load onto your brush tip. There’s even a brush-cleaning option that doesn’t involve turpentine!You can also change brush size and hardness with the same keyboard shortcut: Control-Option-drag horizontally or vertically respectively. And if you’ve used the Rotate View Tool to spin your canvas so it’s at a more natural angle, your brushes won’t rotate. Just don’t expect the new brush behaviour to kill Corel Painter — Photoshop’s brush improvements are in their infancy and will take some time to blossom fully.



Other painterly improvements include keyboard shortcut access to a “heads-up” version of the Colour Picker (it appears atop your image, sans dialogue box), making it easier to swap colour while you’re painting; improved support for graphic tablets (like the option to have tablet settings override brush settings); and a new sample ring for the Eyedropper Tool, which shows the current and new colours, making it easier to grab the colour you want.

Puppet Warp
If you ever need to move your subject’s arms, legs, or tail into a better position, the new Puppet Warp tool can get it done. You begin by dropping markers (called pins) onto the item you want to move, and then Photoshop generates anchor points, handles, and a grid-like mesh that you use to move and distort the item. It works with pixel-based layers as well as Smart Objects. Unless you frequently need to move a model’s arm or leg, or adjust a road or path so it’s more or less curvy, you’ll rarely use this feature.

Repoussé and new 3D tools
Photoshop CS5 Extended users will enjoy the new Repoussé (pronounced “Rep-poose-ay”) feature, which lets you create 3D versions of a variety of 2D items such as text, paths, layer masks, and selections. It creates a 3D layer that you can use with Photoshop’s full arsenal of 3D tools. Don’t expect it to be a quick process, though; no matter what Mac you have, Photoshop requires some time to perform the 3D extrusion.
Other 3D features include the new Ground Plane Shadow Catcher, which gives you an easy way to generate a realistic shadow cast on the ground (or, in this case, mesh) beneath a 3D object. Photoshop CS5 also sports faster 3D Ray Tracer rendering (think of Ray-Tracing as tracing the path of light rays reflected off an object and back to the camera for a more photo-realistic image), which lets you render a selection, pause and resume rendering, and change render quality. Adobe also added a slew of new materials, light sources, and overlays, the ability to change 3D depth of field, new 3D preferences, and more.When it comes to using Photoshop CS5’s new Merge to HDR Pro dialogue box (top) the more exposures you use, the more realistic your final image will be. At the bottom, you can see the difference between the surreal look of merging three exposures (left) and the more realistic look of merging 10 images (right). Photo credit: Rob Barnes


Workspace improvements

If you’re upgrading from Photoshop CS4, the workspace doesn’t look much different than before, though the Tools panel icons have been modernized. Also, the Application Bar includes a live workspace switcher (they’re really buttons) that you can drag leftward to reveal and hold several saved workspaces. In fact, the Hand and Rotate View tools were removed from the Application Bar to make more room for this feature. You can also delete built-in workspaces you’ll never use.To give you easier access to files through Adobe Bridge, Adobe gave Bridge its own panel inside Photoshop. It’s named Mini Bridge because of its size and the fact that it can’t quite do everything Bridge can (though you can still use full-blown Bridge any time you want). You can drag files from the Mini Bridge panel into a Photoshop (or InDesign) window. You can also view and search for files, get a full-screen preview by pressing the space bar, and run commands on multiple files.



Many smaller tweaks
If you ever wondered whether Adobe listens to customer feedback, the proof is in the 100-plus changes that are the direct result of Adobe’s customer feedback initiative, called Just Do It (JDI). For example, Photoshop now automatically saves 16-bit JPEGs as 8-bit; the Ruler tool includes a Straighten option; the Crop tool includes a rule-of-thirds grid overlay; the Save dialogue box includes an “apply to all” check-box; there’s a preference to turn off gestures on laptop trackpads; there's an option to revert to legacy (CS3) keyboard shortcuts for Channels; the default Shadows/Highlights adjustment is set to 35 percent instead of 50 percent — the list goes on.Layers got a few upgrades, too. For example, you can adjust the opacity and fill of multiple layers at once, nest layers into a deeper folder structure, save your favourite layer style settings as defaults from within the Layer Style dialogue box, and drag and drop files from your desktop into an open Photoshop document to add them as a layer.Other additions include a ghosted outline as you drag layer content using the Move tool (helpful when moving small items), visual feedback when you’re dragging layer styles from one layer to another (you see a big, partially transparent fx icon as you drag), and a new Paste Special menu item that lets you do all kinds of neat pasting tricks.

Photoshop updates come along every 18 to 24 months, and in this economy, it’s harder than ever to justify the upgrade cost. With Photoshop CS5 and CS5 Extended however, it’s a no-brainer — especially if you skipped CS4. If you work in advertising or graphic design, the new Content-Aware Fill and the improved Refine Edge dialogue are worth the upgrade price, not to mention the hundreds of enhancements that will make your editing life easier. If you never work in 3D, you can get away with the standard version of the program and save $300. That said, the extended version makes more sense because it includes extra goodies such as the option to load several images into a Photoshop document automatically (File ->Scripts ->Load Files into Stack), more powerful video editing, animation control, and more.
If you’re a photographer, you’ll get more accurate results with the Lens Correction filter; merging multiple exposures now makes more sense and takes less time; and the Camera Raw enhancements mean your photos might not need to spend time in Photoshop at all. With all the time you’ll save by using the new tools, you can give the Mixer Brush a spin and create that painted masterpiece you’ve always wanted.

Tuesday, May 4, 2010

Good old fashion non-dialogue comedy



A short celebrating 50 years of the Annecy International Animated Film Festival.

Monday, May 3, 2010

Logitech introduces game-changing gameboard

Whether you're rescuing hostages, on a quest with your guild or saving humanity, you don't want to worry about hand fatigue or hitting the wrong key. Logitech has recently introduced the Logitech G13 Advanced Gameboard - a hybrid gaming keyboard designed to complement your Logitech keyboard and mouse - giving you game-changing comfort and control on a Mac computer or a PC"If you're into serious gaming, there's no better feeling than playing with the G13 gameboard by your side," said Ruben Mookerjee, Logitech's director of product marketing for gaming. "Unlike other gameboards that focus only on programmability, the G13 advanced gameboard incorporates the principles of our award-winning Comfort Wave design. So whether you're getting into World of Warcraft or walking into your next LAN party, the G13 gameboard gives you a powerful advantage over those forced to work with less."With its sculpted, ergonomically inspired shape and pushing-the-envelope functionality, the Logitech G13 advanced gameboard completes your search for gaming gear. Delivering increased comfort, the iconic contoured design complements the natural shape of your hand and fingers, while the smooth, concave home-row keys make it easy to locate buttons by touch. With three game modes, 25 programmable keys and a programmable analog stick, the G13 gameboard offers up to 87 ways for you to control your game (software installation required). And you can set up custom button-profiles for each one of your favorite titles. You can even create macros on the fly without having to pause your game.

"The G13 goes beyond additional gaming buttons and a joystick; it also includes an LCD screen that provides helpful gaming and system stats that gamers will find handy. G13 could be a powerful tool for dedicated gamers, a solid addition to their arsenal. " said Subrotah Biswas, Country Manager, India and South West Asia, Logitech.And for another tactical advantage, the 160-by-43-pixel GamePanel LCD shows live game stats, system info and even messages from other players. With the G13 gameboard, you'll also get backlit keys that help you easily locate the right key in low-light conditions or lights-out play. And you can select from hundreds of available backlight colors, so your gameboard looks just the way you want it. A handy solution for the laptop gamer, the G13 gameboard includes onboard memory, letting you program up to five ready-to-play profiles and take them with you to your next LAN party. The G13 gameboard also offers pre-configured settings for many popular games, including World of Warcraft: Burning Crusade, Lord of the Rings Online: Shadows of Angmar , Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare and many others. With its sturdy weight and strategically placed feet, the G13 gameboard won't move during gameplay, giving you rock-solid support all the way to victory.

Clap Your HanSia - Clap Your Hands (Official full-length music video) !

 

Clap Your Hands is the first single to be taken from We Are Born, Sia's forthcoming album!