Rejoice, animated GIF fans! Google+ profile photos can now use the ubiquitous file format. Social networkers can upload their picture of choice, crop it accordingly and revel in spreading internet memes and the ancestors of Vine clips. If you need help finding the perfect avatar, Mountain View has just the search feature you need. Not sure what all this moving image buzz is about? Feel free to take a crash course in web history.
Source: Google+ (Google+)
Rambus Unveils Binary Pixel Technology For Dramatically Improved Image Quality in Mobile Devices
Breakthrough technology Provides Single-Shot High Dynamic Range and Improved Low-Light Sensitivity in a Single Explosure
SUNNYVALE, CALIFORNIA AND BARCELONA, SPAIN – February 25, 2013 – Rambus Inc. (NASDAQ: RMBS), the innovative technology solutions company that brings invention to market, today unveiled breakthrough binary pixel technology that dramatically improves the quality of photos taken from mobile devices. The Rambus Binary Pixel technology includes image sensor and image processing architectures with single-shot high dynamic range (HDR) and improved low-light sensitivity for better videos and photos in any lighting condition.
"Today's compact mainstream sensors are only able to capture a fraction of what the human eye can see," said Dr. Martin Scott, chief technology officer at Rambus. "Our breakthrough binary pixel technology enables a tremendous performance improvement for compact imagers capable of ultra high-quality photos and videos from mobile devices."
As improvements are made in resolution and responsiveness, more and more consumers are using the camera functionality on their smart phone as the primary method for taking photos and capturing memories. However, high contrast scenes typical in daily life, such as bright landscapes, sunset portraits, and scenes with both sunlight and shadow, are difficult to capture with today's compact mobile sensors - the range of bright and dark details in these scenes simply exceeds the limited dynamic range of mainstream CMOS imagers.
This binary pixel technology is optimized at the pixel level to sense light similar to the human eye while maintaining comparable form factor, cost and power of today's mobile and consumer images. The results are professional-quality images and videos from mobile devices that capture the full gamut of details in dark and bright intensities.
Benefits of binary pixel technology:
· Improved image quality optimized at the pixel level
· Single-shot HDR photo and video capture operates at high-speed frame-rates
· Improved signal-to-noise performance in low-light conditions
· Extended dynamic range through variable temporal and spatial oversampling
· Silicon-proven technology for mobile form factors
· Easily integratable into existing SoC architectures
· Compatible with current CMOS image sensor process technology
The Rambus binary pixel has been demonstrated in a proof-of-concept test-chip and the technology is currently available for integration into future mobile and consumer image sensors. For additional information visit www.rambus.com/binarypixel.
Sure, Mountain View's social network collates photos taken at get-togethers by various users into a single album, but downloading all of them has required clicking through to each and every one. Now, however, Google+ Events have been graced with the option to download all images from an event with a solitary click. Simply head to the occasion's page, push "Actions" and hit "download event photos." Page and Co. have already pushed the change to Google+, so you can get started saving pictures en masse.
.Source: Google+ (Google+)
It looks like you can soon expect some changes to the way photos and videos are handled on Twitter. The company announced today that it's begun rolling out a new feature that will let you view a larger version of a photo without going to a separate page (as pictured above), as well as another addition that will see videos from Vine, YouTube, Vimeo and others added to media galleries. It's also slightly tweaked the conversation view to display more replies. We're not seeing those new options ourselves just yet, but it sounds like they should be available to everyone shortly.
when.eng("eng.perm.init")One recent report had Sony introducing the Sony Xperia Z at CES 2013 in Las Vegas on January 8th and then launching it exactly one week later on January 15th. Perhaps as we get closer to CES, Sony will reveal some more official word about the their two new flagship handsets.
source: SonyMobile (1), (2) via Engadgetenespanol (translated) via Engadget
Adds Santa hats, holly leaves, snowflakes, holiday frames, and other fun stuff to your pictures.
It's December 25, and we're feeling a little warm and fuzzy. Apps that give you stamps to place on your photos are fun. But they're even better with a Christmas spin. And you probably have people you need to thank for the lovely presents you opened up today, so send them a thematic photo expressing your gratitude.
Xmas Camera
Download this app for:
The Best:
It's Christmas!
The Worst:
Christmas is over tomorrow
Digital photos are an incredibly convenient way to preserve life's most important memories and moments, and are so easy to use that it's tempting to take them for granted.
And why not? You see a thumbnail, double-click it and the image always appears, so you assume it always will.
But of course life isn't always so straightforward.
It only takes something tiny - a scratch on a CD; a bad sector on your hard drive. And, suddenly, a photo could be trashed: split into chunks; colours displayed incorrectly; bits missing; maybe you can no longer view it at all. Your photo - or photos - have been corrupted.
Don't panic, though - there are several programs around which claim they can repair JPEGs.
They're almost all commercial products, but if you want to fix corrupted photos then you can always pass your images through their trial versions, which will give you an idea of what can be recovered (although repaired images tend to come with a bulky watermark until you buy the full package).
So which tool is best?
To find out, we've tested seven of the most well-known contenders, and the differences are absolutely amazing: some programs really deliver, while others are entirely useless. Keep reading to find out more.
To benchmark our repair tools we needed some corrupted JPEGs. And so we set about creating some, by intentionally damaging four groups of images in very specific ways.
Test 1, 'Zero Signature', was the simplest: we just zeroed the first two bytes in every image. No critical data was lost, so we would expect any capable recovery tool to fix the problem.
Test 2, 'Zero Header', was an extension of the same idea, zeroing the first 32 bytes. This would be a little more difficult to fix, but should still be recoverable.
Test 3, 'Lost intro', saw us delete the first 8KB of every file (that is, the corrupted file started at original file byte 8193). Obviously this missing data can't be recovered, but could our tools make at least something visible?
This is a tough test.
And test 4, 'Lost middle', saw us delete 8KB from the middle of each file (so the data isn't zeroed, it's removed entirely and the file is 8KB shorter). Again, the lost data can't be restored, but would our test programs make the photos more viewable?
It was time to find out.
Here's a bit of what Kevin Systrom, co-founder of Instagram, had to say:
Because of the feedback we have heard from you, we are reverting this advertising section to the original version that has been in effect since we launched the service in October 2010. You can see the updated terms here.
Going forward, rather than obtain permission from you to introduce possible advertising products we have not yet developed, we are going to take the time to complete our plans, and then come back to our users and explain how we would like for our advertising business to work.
You also had deep concerns about whether under our new terms, Instagram had any plans to sell your content. I want to be really clear: Instagram has no intention of selling your photos, and we never did. We don't own your photos – you do.
It's still unclear what these future advertising products Instagram has "not yet developed" will be but it's definitely not going to be the murky ToS change that got everyone—from National Geographic to Kim Kardashian to LeBron James to your next door neighbor—screaming to delete the Instagram app off their phones.
But don't expect Instagram to keep staying the same ol' huggable filtered photo service that can do no wrong. The truth is this mini victory won't stand forever. Instagram still needs to make money and it's still owned by Facebook (who knows a thing or two about botched privacy decisions). Changes are still coming and chances are we won't like 'em. [Instagram]
Anyone who's returned from an event with a virtual armful of photos may have been frustrated with Facebook's upload interface, which until now has involved a less-than-intuitive file browser. The company is quietly solving that problem: an update pushing out to individual users lets them drag-and-drop photos into a new post, like we've seen on other social networks, and to a newly streamlined Messages format that's rolling out at the same time. A much smaller circle is seeing a second update. Facebook has confirmed to ABC News that it's conducting limited trials of an updated Timeline that moves the news feed to a single column, replaces the thumbnail navigation with simpler-looking tabs and makes all profile page information available through scrolling. A spokesperson wouldn't say if or when the new Timeline would reach the wider public, but history points to "when" being more likely. They did however mention that the new privacy shortcuts, activity log and untagging tool would be going live for all users starting tonight, and we've already seen them pop up on some of our accounts.
Filed under: Internet, Facebook
Comments
Via: The Verge
Source: Inside Facebook, ABC News (1), (2)
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A photo illustration shows the applications Facebook and Instagram on the screen of an iPhone in Zagreb April 9, 2012.
Credit: Reuters/Antonio BronicSAN FRANCISCO | Tue Dec 18, 2012 6:22pm EST
SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Instagram, the popular photo-sharing service owned by Facebook Inc, said on Tuesday it has "no plans" to incorporate user photos into ads in response to a growing public outcry over new privacy policies unveiled this week.
Instagram Chief Executive Kevin Systrom said in a blog post that users had incorrectly interpreted Instagram's revised terms of service, released on Monday, to mean that user photos would be sold to others without compensation.
"This is not true and it is our mistake that this language is confusing," Systrom said. "To be clear: it is not our intention to sell your photos. We are working on updated language in the terms to make sure this is clear."
But Systrom said Instagram may display users' profile pictures and information about who they follow as part of an ad - a social marketing technique similar to what Facebook uses in its "sponsored stories" ad product.
He added that Instagram will not incorporate users' uploaded photos as ads because the service wants "to avoid things like advertising banners."
Instagram, which is free to use, triggered an uproar this week when it revised its terms of service in order to begin carrying advertising.
Facebook bought the fast-growing photo service - now with 100 million users - earlier this year in a cash-and-stock deal valued initially at $1 billion. The transaction closed in September at $715 million, reflecting a decline in the value of Facebook shares.
(Reporting By Gerry Shih; Editing by Tim Dobbyn)
Can't wait to see those waffle cones on the big screen You can now access your SkyDrive photos and documents from your Xbox 360 thanks to Microsoft's new app.
As well as letting you call up your cloud-stored bits and pieces on the big screen, SkyDrive app for Xbox also supports Kinect voice and gesture control so you can flail about and yell at it as well.
The Xbox app means you can now access Sky Drive from your television as well as through your Windows Phone, your PC and your web browser.
One thing that Microsoft thinks you'll find particularly nifty is the ability to take a picture on your phone and have it show on the TV screen almost instantly; this "feels like magic!" according to the Redmond brigade.
We were really hoping for something a bit more spectacular from magic, like, say, time travel or the ability to fly, or some kind of major transformative feat but we can settle for another kind of image on another kind of screen we suppose.
Look for the new SkyDrive app in the Social category of the Xbox Live apps area where it should pop up at some point today – although you'll need Gold membership on Xbox Live so it doesn't exactly come free.
See the app in action in the video below:Tech. is the essential new weekly iPad magazine from the makers of TechRadar.
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