Point-and-shoot cameras are dying, or already dead, thanks to ever-better camera phones — so goes the popular wisdom, anyway. Many photo aficionados are reluctant to agree, though, pointing out that smartphone cameras still have relatively tiny image sensors and lenses that can’t match the quality of a “real” camera’s gear. For a long time, that was true. But no more — at least by daylight. [Tom’s Guide]
For the second keynote in a row, pundits and rumormongers have wondered aloud whether Apple would release a new version of, or new software for, its rather successful Apple TV online video streaming box. Starting about two years ago, people were anxiously anticipating a whole television set from Apple. Now even a software update is too much to ask. [Tom’s Guide]
Regardless of whether Panasonic is closing up its plasma shop, the technology is on a fast decline. “Plasma has some life left, but by 2015, the market opportunity is getting small,” Steve Koenig, director of industry analysis at the Consumer Electronics Association, told Tom’s Guide. [Tom’s Guide]
Roku and Apple TV are the two little boxes that fight for the big cord-cutting (or more likely, cord-supplementing) masses, though they have tackled it in different ways. But with new movie- and TV rental services offerings Roku announced today, and a coming ability to sling video from your computer or mobile device to your TV, Roku is starting to look more like its rival. [Tom’s Guide]
Father-and-son team Scott and Zachary Vader aim to take 3D printing up a substantial notch by printing with molten metals such as aluminum and copper. In rough terms, their prototype machine, which debuted at Maker Faire in New York City over the weekend, is like an inkjet printer for metal. [Tom’s Guide]
[Tom’s Guide]
3D printing promises to bring users’ digital visions into the physical world. That’s literally what happens with an alternative to the mainstream 3D tech called stereolithography (SLA). Utilizing the same kind of projector often used for PowerPoint presentations and movie nights, these devices turn liquid into finely detailed objects.
The technology garnered attention at the recent Maker Faire in New York City, with models ranging from pricey and highly polished to extreme DIY.
[Read the rest of Resin: The Next Little Thing for 3D Printing]
Not all 3D printers are the same, and new concepts continue to emerge. The square boxes that build up small plastic items by laying down layers of melted filament are just one of many types.
Some printers come in far bigger sizes. Some print from liquid, and one even prints with molten metal. [Tom’s Guide]
You might even wonder if some parts are missing from the $1400 device. But that trim design belies the device’s complexity. And the one-button operation does nothing to show off the sophisticated inner workings of the software. “We’ve taken the time to get the software right and make it easy for people,” said MakerBot CEO Bre Pettis at the scanner’s public unveiling. [Tom’s Guide]
ou may not care about the fingerprint reader or space-gray color option for the new iPhone 5S. But its camera could really change how you use your phone — and make you stop using a point-and-shoot camera. Not only iPhones, but also many Android and even Windows models have pushed the limits of what a smartphone camera can do, making the inclination to lug a point-and-shoot camera ever smaller. [Tom’s Guide]
Olympus wagered a few years ago that a camera didn’t have to make a mechanical “click” sound to be a professional tool. It promoted its mirrorless (or, as Olympus confusingly calls it, micro four-thirds) cameras as replacements for single-lens reflex cameras (SLRs), even including its own SLRs. [Tom’s Guide]
