Month: January 2014

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Photo samples: Kodak PIXPRO AZ522 (Camera Review Coming Soon)

Color saturation out of the box is a little hard on reds, but thankfully detail isn’t overly sacrificed.
The AZ522 does a solid job of exposing in this back lit scene. Detail in white isn’t lost.
The AZ522 does not have the closest minimum focus for Macros, but shots come out nicely detailed.
Another close up shot from the AZ522.
Using a point & shoot image sensor, depth of field is respectable. Background blur is pleasant.
Solid color saturation and dynamic range. The AZ522 manages good exposures even on auto settings.
Reds and yellows tend to over-saturate slightly, but we still see detail in this flower pic.
Another good example of dynamic range. The sky is still blue, clouds still have detail, and the shaded side of the palm tree is not under-exposed.
At the longest end of the zoom however, details can start to soften. It’s difficult hand holding the camera unless you’re in very bright light.
AZ522 field of view fully wide.
AZ522 field of view fully zoomed in.
Direct sunlight pics come out well exposed with a minimum of fuss.
Indoor and lowlight pics showcase some aggressive noise reduction, but the OIS does a great job with hand holding. This pic was taken with a 1/4 second shutter and is still pretty crisp.
AZ stands for “Astro Zoom”, and Kodak isn’t joking…
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Honda Let’s You Download a Car, Makes 3D Printing Design Files Available.

honda 3d printing nsxYou wouldn’t download a car would you? Well, if it’s a Honda, that might not be such a serious issue.

Honda is making 3D printing design files available for five of their older concept vehicles. As part of their Super Ultra Daydreams branding project, if you’re inclined to DIY, you could print out all the pieces for your very own NSX.

It’s kind of a crazy idea, aknowledging that IP law is going to have a difficult time reigning in consumer behavior once 3D printers become more commonplace, but crazy ideas seem to be right up Honda’s alley at the moment, if this video of theirs from the 43rd Tokyo Motor Show is any indication.

Yeah… I totally downloaded the NSX by the way…

Honda 3D Printing files.

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SomeGadgetGuy 2.0 – Faster, Stronger, Better

bluehost 01

Yesterday was an interesting day…

I was planning on wrapping up a few videos, maybe doing a live hangout, and I had some articles I wanted to write. Trying to log into the site, I could barely type a handful of words into WordPress without getting kicked off the server.

See, when you host a site through a company like Bluehost, they’ll set aside a certain amount of server power for you. Cross that threshold and the server will throttle your site. When I moved SomeGadgetGuy over to Bluehost, it was kind of an emergency maneuver. I never really took the time to properly optimize this site. Surprisingly even my plain, old, white-backgrounded theme was a humongous resource hog.

As the site has grown in popularity, all of that inefficient code has exponentially exacerbated those throttling issues.

Continue reading “SomeGadgetGuy 2.0 – Faster, Stronger, Better”

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Samsung Intros Galaxy Tab Built for Education

375_Galaxy-Tab-for-Education_Front_Horz_1-27Google and Samsung really are working on their relationship.

Featured at FETC 2014, Samsung is showing off a Galaxy Tab 10.1 which focuses on Education markets, and they say it’ll be ready for the 2014-2015 school year.

Starting off with a fairly normal Galaxy Tab 10.1, it’s software and services which separate it from the herd. Piggybacking on their recent gains getting Android devices ready for corporate IT, these new tablets will feature simple set up and device management for teachers to utilize tablets in the classroom.

This also highlights Google’s push into the education market by working with Google Play for Education. This division of play focuses on teacher approved apps and media, gives teachers the ability to filter content by grade level and topic, and allows schools to order content via PO. Once content is purchased, it can be quickly pushed to students tablets.

Hopefully the controls are more robust than what we experienced here in LA using iPads last year…

Full press release below.

Continue reading “Samsung Intros Galaxy Tab Built for Education”

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T-Mobile Featuring Free Agent Tim Tebow in Super Bowl Spots

T-Mobile LogoGet it? Because neither Tim Tebow nor T-Mobile want to sign contracts? And they both start with the letter “T”? Get it?

Actually this is a pretty cute spot featuring the QB who couldn’t lead my Broncos to a Super Bowl, and all the crazy shenanigans he’s been getting into since he’s not locked down by a contract.

But I have a question in earnest, for you folks who watch the big game for the commercials, what’s the point if all those spots are already online?

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Kansas Legislature Trying to Stall Fiber Internet Outside of Kansas City?

Google-Fiber1Hey Google. If the rest of Kansas doesn’t want Fiber, might I suggest breaking up some of the monopolies here in Southern California? Maybe? Think about it OK?

I try not to soapbox politically too often on this site, but network infrastructure is one of my trigger topics, especially when business and politics meet preventing a level playing field and stifling competition.

The “municipal communications network and private telecommunications investment safeguards act” would seek to prevent other municipalities in Kansas from offering the same kinds of incentives Kansas City provided Google. Of course, the boilerplate goals of the bill all triumph protecting consumer interests, and providing services through “fair competition”, and letting the established ISP market decide what fair rates are for that service.  Continue reading “Kansas Legislature Trying to Stall Fiber Internet Outside of Kansas City?”

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Updated: Lenovo to buy Motorola from Google for $3 Billion!

lenovo-logo-1Well now that the dust has settled a bit, we can actually take a closer look at some of the details of this proposed deal. Though it was kind of funny how many corporate experts came flocking out of various corners of the internet following the freakish suddenness of this announcement.

The Motorola that Lenovo will acquire will be a very different animal than the one that Google purchased for $12.5 Billion. Firstly, there’s no set-top division. That was sold to Arris Group for $2.35 Billion.

We also know that the experimental division of Motorola responsible for the modular Project Ara will be staying with Google. As will most of the patents they acquired in buying Moto. Lenovo will receive all of the Motorola branding and trademarks. Not too shabby as they’ll instantly become the number three Android manufacturer.

Lenovo will also receive a patent licensing deal. The timing on this makes perfect sense when placed next to the deal Samsung and Google hammered out recently. Google is making a tremendous amount of patent material available to the top Android manufacturer, and the number one PC manufacturer (who also happens to be making a play for more of the mobile market). Lenovo and Samsung get more IP weapons, and Google gets a Samsung less focused on altering Android and a new home for Moto for them to keep stave off any perception of impropriety. Lenovo gets a great brand with a lot of history, and like IBM’s Thinkpads, Lenovo is proving itself very capable of reviving old brands. My histrionic speculation below doesn’t feel like it was TOO far off the mark…

So why aren’t I happier about this? Rationally I know this is probably the best possible move for all parties involved. I think I’m somewhat disappointed on Motorola’s behalf. It takes a long time to incorporate a company following a buy out. We were just starting to see the fruits of a newer, leaner, meaner Moto. The Moto X was a terrific handset, and Moto G was the best possible Android answer to the onslaught of low cost Windows Phones like the Lumia 520.

Now little Moto has to move to a new home. I’m very confident Lenovo will be a solid keeper for the beleaguered brand, but I’m bummed seeing anything which might interrupt the little bit of momentum that we’ve started to see.

And while this makes fantastic business sense for Google, both from a revenue standpoint and to maintain good relationships with other manufacturers, it makes me feel like this entire procedure really was a cynical grab for a patent portfolio. The very accusations I defended Google from back in 2012. I don’t like being wrong like that.

More details on the Motorola Blog and Lenovo’s Press Release. My original article below. Continue reading “Updated: Lenovo to buy Motorola from Google for $3 Billion!”

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