What’s new in digital cameras?

Digital cameras have been packing on features that make taking pictures easier than ever.

             If you’re still using an older digital camera - say, older than two years – then the market has plenty of surprises in store for you. Quietly, digital cameras have been packing on features that make taking pictures easier than ever, while introducing innovative technologies that allow you to do more with your digital camera than you probably ever imagined. Here’s a rundown of features you should look for in your next digital camera. 

Great lenses

 

            Serious photographers know that the lens makes the camera. That’s why most photographers with single lens reflex cameras (SLR) often spend many times more on their lens collection than their camera collection. In the past, in fact, you had to buy a digital SLR in order to get access to great lenses. 

        Not any more. A growing number of compact, affordable digital cameras are banking on consumers’ growing sophistication regarding camera equipment and are bringing out models that, while easy to carry, feature lenses that work well in low light and produce images that rival those taken by high-end digital SLRs. Panasonic’s Lumix series, Canon’s S95 IS, Nikon’s Coolpix S9100, and Sony’s Cyber-shot DSC-WX5, for example, feature fast, high-quality lenses, yet retain the tiny form factor that allow the units to fit nicely into a pocket. 

3D images

 

           Normal still images not vibrant enough for you? Some of the latest digital cameras feature a “3D shooting” mode, which seemingly makes images pop off of the page as though you were looking at them with 3D glasses. Cameras with 3D typically achieve the effect by digitally merging two or more captures of the same scene. Fuji’s FinePix Real 3D and Vivitar’s 3D compact are examples of models that feature 3D images. Sony’s TX9 offers a “3D sweep panorama” mode that records separate left- and right-eye images as you sweep across a landscape. 

          The images are stitched together in-camera and are designed to be viewed on a 3D television set. Expect other camera makers to trot out models with 3D features in the coming months. 

Self-cleaners

 

          Buying a digital SLR in the past meant having to suffer through cleaning your camera’s image sensor - the main light-gathering chip in the camera - or sending the unit in to the manufacturer to have it professionally cleaned. Neither of those options was fun. 

          Many in the latest crop of digital SLRs, though, feature some type of self-cleaning mechanisms which eliminates the need to have the camera serviced regularly. Most of these cameras automatically clean the sensor each time you turn the camera off or on. The feature is so useful that you should probably avoid buying any new SLR without it.

Touch screens

 

        Digital cameras have almost always offered LCDs either framing images or for navigating menus. But the screens were never very easy to use. Some of today’s latest digital cameras change all that, with touch screen interfaces that make the cameras as easy and fun to use as swiping your hand across an iPhone. Sony, Samsung, Nikon, Panasonic, and Canon all offer touch-screen models. 

Soft skin mode

 

            Today’s hi-res digital cameras are great for bringing out details.

But guess what? Most people, when photographed, don’t want your camera to pick up every wrinkle and mole. That’s where “soft focus” comes in. It’s a processing trick that photographers have been employing post-capture for decades. But now some cameras are offering a soft focus mode right in the camera itself. Sony has several models offering a soft skin mode, as does Panasonic.

Magic focusing

 

     Perhaps the most amazing new feature introduced of late isn’t actually available on a production-model camera yet. But it’s coming. 

          Manufacturer Lytro has introduced a technology that lets you focus your images after the picture has been taken. Sounding too good to be true, the technology actually works, if the online demos are to be believed (http://www.lytro.com/picture_gallery). In essence, you can make any part of a blurry image become clearly focused just by clicking on it in software once it’s downloaded to your computer. 

         Lytro claims that its new technology amounts to a “picture revolution.” If the after-the-fact focus feature works as well as advertised, the company just may have a point. There’s no release date yet on the camera, and you probably shouldn’t expect it to be affordable. The manufacturer promises that the price will be below 10,000 dollars.

Zuckerberg now richer than Google founders !!

 

  Founder and Chief  Executive Officer of Facebook Mark 

Zuckerberg at the e-G8 conference held in Paris Last Month

          Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg’s personal fortunes have soared, thanks to investment fund GSV Capital’s recent stake in the social networking site which has put the Harvard dropout at a worth higher than Google founder Sergey Brin and Larry Page. 

           Earlier this week, GSV Capital Corp bought 225,000 shares in Facebook at an average price of $29.28 each. 

This stake values the popular social networking site at about $70 billion. 

           Based on the new investment, Zuckerberg in turn is worth approximately $8 billion, a report in Time magazine said. 

          “With the new valuation, Zuckerberg has one-upped Google co-founders Sergey Brin and Larry Page, whose fortunes are estimated to have dropped,” the Time report said. 

          This estimate makes Zuckerberg the third-richest man in the technology sector in the world, only behind Microsoft’s Bill Gates and Oracle’s Larry Ellison. 

           While Gates is estimated to be currently worth $56 billion, Ellison is the world’s fifth-richest billionaire at $ 39.5 billion. 

Earlier this year, Zuckerberg’s net worth stood at $13.5 billion. 

           He had already shot past Apple’s Steve Jobs last year and has now passed Google’s Brin and Page, whose fortunes are now estimated to have dropped to $17 billion from $19.8 billion in March.

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Does Facebook Hurt Relationships?

                Last year, more Facebook users changed their status to single than in a relationship — 24 percent versus 31 percent.

                    That juicy tidbit counts among many that lie in this infographic on how Facebook affects our relationships, rendered by our friends at Online Dating University.

               Only three out of every five users show their relationship statuses at all, and such listings appear more frequently among Facebookers in the U.S., South Africa, Iceland, the U.K. and Canada.

                    Let us know in the comments section what you think about these statistics and the other facts appearing in the infographic below.

iPhone4

 

                

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                         

                

 

               

 

 

 

 

 

 

                  People have been dreaming about video calling for decades. iPhone 4 makes it a reality. With the tap of a button, you can wave hello to your kids, share a smile from across the globe, or watch your best friend laugh at your stories — iPhone 4 to iPhone 4, iPad 2, the new iPod touch, or Mac over Wi-Fi. No other phone makes staying in touch this much fun.

One-tap simple.

                FaceTime works right out of the box — no need to set up a special account or screen name. And using it is as easy as it gets. Let’s say you want to start a video call with your best friend. Just find her entry in your Contacts and tap the FaceTime button. Or maybe you’re already talking on a voice call with her, iPhone 4 to iPhone 4, and you want to switch to video. Just tap the FaceTime button on the screen. Either way, an invitation pops up on her screen asking if she wants to join you. When she accepts, the video call begins. It’s all perfectly seamless. And it works in both portrait and landscape modes.

 Two cameras made for video calling.

              iPhone 4 has two built-in cameras, one on the front above the display and one on the back next to the LED flash. The front camera has been tuned for FaceTime. It has just the right field of view and focal length to focus on your face at arm’s length. So it always presents you in the best possible light.

Share what you see with the back camera.

              Imagine your sister is away at school and can’t make it to your son’s birthday. So you’re cheering her up with a FaceTime call. As the cupcakes come out, your son’s eyes light up, and you just have to share it. Tap a button, and before you can say, “Make a wish,” iPhone 4 switches to the back camera, and to the birthday boy's big moment. Another tap switches back to the front camera and to you. Simple, fast, and fun.

Advancements in the glass. And under it.

                  Made from the same materials used in helicopters and high-speed trains, the Retina display glass is chemically strengthened to be harder, more scratch resistant, and more durable than ever. The glass also features an oil-resistant coating that helps keep the screen clean.

                  The Retina display includes LED backlighting and an ambient light sensor that intelligently adjusts the brightness of the screen for optimal viewing and battery life. When you lift iPhone to your ear for a phone call, a proximity sensor immediately turns off the display to save power and prevent accidental dialing.

 

HD Video Recording

                  Because your iPhone goes with you everywhere, you’re always ready to capture every moment. And with iPhone 4, you can do it in stunning high definition. Its advanced backside illumination sensor delivers great-looking video in both bright and low-light settings. And in dark environments, you can brighten the scene with the built-in LED light.

Edit video right on iPhone.

                No need to wait until you’re back at your computer to edit video. You can perform basic editing right in the Camera app. Just drag to select start and end points on a filmstrip.

Share video anywhere.

                  Say you’re in the middle of a text message conversation when you see something video-worthy. Tap the camera icon in Messages to record on the fly and send it to your buddy via MMS. Or select some video from the Camera Roll and attach it to a new email message, ready to send. Publishing to YouTube — even in HD — is also just a tap away. And you can easily sync all the video you shoot on iPhone 4 back to your Mac or PC.

 Camera

5 megapixel

5x Digital Zoom

                Never miss a photo opportunity. The 5-megapixel camera built into iPhone 4 — with optional HDR setting — captures amazingly detailed images. A built-in LED flash illuminates low-light scenes. And the 5x digital zoom gets you closer to the action. 

You can even shoot self-portraits with the front camera. 

Top 10 Healthy Midnight Snacks !!!

                There can be plenty of reasons for you to stay awake late in the night - favourite Hollywood movie on TV, gaming, soccer matches, office work etc. Many people complain of hunger-pangs during this time even if they've had a generous dinner. Here are top 10 healthy midnight snacks to choose from, thereby, staying away from harmful junk food at night.

         

Remember those nights when you are up until 2 o'clock.

           
 Either your favourite Hollywood flick is being aired on HBO, or you're all red cheering for the red devils of Manchester United or you are just about to finish the last battle of favourite war game or it can be the office work which is making you a nocturnal creature. This is one time when most people feel a craving for good and healthy snacks. Even if you've had dinner at 10, you'll again start feeling hungry. But most of the time we end up eating junk.

Here's some information about the top 10 healthy midnight snacks to keep you going through the night.

1. Fruits. The best snack for any occasion. They are easy to eat and provide nutrients to keep you going. Forget fat when you're gorging on them. To add some spice, sprinkle chat masala on fruits and then enjoy them. You can prepare a fruit platter in advance if you plan to stay awake late in the night.

2. Veggies. You may frown that we are recommending this to you, but veggies make for a great late-night noshing for many diet-friendly reasons. They are a storehouse of vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients that can be used by your body for overnight healing and nourishment. You can prepare a vegetable platter in advance if you plan to stay awake late in the night.

3. Popcorn. If your midnight cravings demand something salty, then popcorn would be the ideal snack. Not only it is a good source of complex carbs, it also contains less calories. (of course, you have to refrain from dousing the kernels in butter). It takes just a few minutes to prepare them. What's more, you can easily eat them with one hand if you're gaming.

4. Nuts. Rich in antioxidants, nuts are great night time snacks. You need protein to stay awake anyway, which nuts have in droves. While gaming, they can be easily tossed into the mount. Most are not so greasy that your equipment will suffer, and nuts are healthy, unless you eat an entire can. Since nuts contain a lot of fibers, you will feel quite fuller when you get up in the morning. Nuts also help in regulating blood sugar.

5. Salsa. Salsa is easy to make fresh - or buy - and offers tasty nutrition with the right ingredients. Be adventurous; try some that combine sweet fruits and hot chilies. Salsa contains no fat. But if you decide to have it with chips, then we can't really help. If you enjoy it with nachos, make sure you do not eat too many of them.

6. Milk. Low in calories and fat (not talking about the full-cream milk, of course), milk contains tryptophan, an amino acid which is capable of lulling you into a deep sleep. Actually, tryptophan helps produce serotonin which helps us feel sleepy. Along with this, you get calcium and vitamin D as bonuses.

7. Whole Grains. Like milk, foods loaded with carbs boost the levels of tryptophan in the body. Grains like oat, barley and millet are the best choices. Studies suggest that consumption of whole grains reduces the risk of cardiovascular diseases and type II diabetes.

8. Water. Please don't hate us for this but yes, water can serve as a healthy midnight snack. What you think of as a pang of hunger is often thirst. So before you devour savouries and treats to kill your “false hunger”, try hydrating yourself with water. You can flavour it with lime juice if you want.

9. Juices. If you want to save yourself the trouble of cutting fruits then go for juices. 100% fruit juice is a nutrient-dense beverage that has almost all the benefits one can get from consuming whole fruits. Don't consume juices in excess as many of them contain good quantities of fructose sugar which is not good for your health.

10. Cottage Cheese. Learn to relish raw cottage as much as you relish Shahi Paneer. A half cup of 2% cottage cheese contains 16 gm of proteins but has only 102 calories and two gm of fat. This is in stark contrast with other types of cheese which can be oozing with fat. You can either mix it with fruits or just enjoy it after sprinkling some chat masala on it. 

Best quotes on Sachin Tendulkar !!

                      Sachin is God, God is Tendulkar! The little master after yesterday’s pyrotechnics holds the record for the highest ODI score. CONGRATULATIONS to him! "No record is unbreakable. Records are made to be broken and I would like to see an Indian breaking this record," Tendulkar said, dedicating the knock to all his fans. Tendulkar’s innings was a dreamy one, layered well with fours, sixes and smart running between the wickets. Here’s a tribute in quotes to the man from Mumbai, it only reinforces the fact that Mr. Sachin is indeed the ‘greatest player of the game’.

Peter Roebuck
                "On a train from Shimla to Delhi, there was a halt in one of the stations. The train stopped by for few minutes as usual. Sachin was nearing century, batting on 98. The passengers, railway officials, everyone on the train waited for Sachin to complete the century. This Genius can stop time in India!!" 

Brian Lara
                 Sachin is a genius. I'm a mere mortal.

Sir Don Bradman
               I saw him (Sachin) playing on television and was struck by his technique, so I asked my wife to come look at him. Now I never saw myself play, but I feel that this player is playing much the same as I used to play, and she looked at him on Television and said yes, there is a similarity between the two...his compactness, technique, stroke production... it all seemed to gel. 

Andy Flower:
              "There are 2 kind of batsmen in the world. One Sachin Tendulkar. Two all the others." 

Sunil Gavaskar
            India's fortune will depend on how many runs the little champion scores. There is no doubt Tendulkar is the real thing. 

Greg Chappell
             He is a perfectly balanced batsman and knows perfectly well when to attack and when to play defensive cricket. He has developed the ability to treat bowlers all over the world with contempt and can destroy any attack with utmost ease. 

Shane Warne
              I'll be going to bed having nightmares of Sachin just running down the wicket and belting me back over the head for six. He was unstoppable. I don't think anyone, apart from Don Bradman, is in the same class as Sachin Tendulkar. He is just an amazing player. 

BBC Sports:
           Beneath the helmet, under that unruly curly hair, inside the cranium, there is something we don't know, something beyond scientific measure. Something that allows him to soar, to roam a territory of sport that, forget us, even those who are gifted enough to play alongside him cannot even fathom. When he goes out to bat, people switch on their television sets and switch off their lives. 

Ian Chappell
             Harder he works, the luckier he gets. 

Andrew Symonds
            "To Sachin, the man we all want to be"
What Symonds wrote on an aussie t-shirt he autographed specially for Sachin. 

Mark Taylor
"We did not lose to a team called India...we lost to a man called Sachin" -Mark Taylor, during the test match in Chennai (1997) 

Intel's New Core i7 and Core i5 Processors !!

Intel's two new Core i7 CPUs (860 and 870) are mid-range counterparts to its top-of-the-line Core i7 900-series chips, and initial tests (using Intel's new DP55KG motherboard) indicate their performance follows suit. Our early tests also show the new entry-level Core i5 750 is the one to watch when it comes to best bang for your buck.

                 Intel's full processor breakdown--including the axing of its Core i7 940 processor--includes some potentially confusing differences between the chips. So here's what you need to know.

The existing Core i7 900-series processor lineup, codenamed Bloomfield, now features three separate products: 3.33-GHz Core i7 975, 3.06-GHz Core i7 950, and 2.66-GHz Core i7-920 processors. Between the Core i7-950 and Core i7-920 processors sit the new "Lynnfield" 2.93-GHz Core i7 870 and 2.8-GHz Core i7 860 processors. The brand-new, 2.66-GHz Core i5 750 CPU is a Lynnfield chip as well, but we'll get to that odd duckling further below.

Technology Differences

Intel took a big leap forward in the design department when it launched Core i7 900-series processors last November. Just a few of these included a new triple-channel memory controller integrated into the chip, a new QuickPath Interconnect system to replace (and improve upon) the front-side bus architecture of old, and the return of hyperthreading that split the chip's four physical cores into eight virtual cores for increased system performance. As the Core i7 900-series chips were based on a new Intel X58 chipset and LGA1366 socket, aspiring upgraders had to invest in new motherboards to reap the benefits of the Core i7 900-series platform.

That part still rings true for the new Core i7 800-series and Core i5 CPUs--all three run on Intel's latest P55 chipset and LGA1156 socket, which necessitates a new motherboard purchase for use. What's changed, however, is that the Core i7 800-series and Core i5 CPUs each adopt different permutations of the fanciest of the Core i7 900-series' features.

All three chips have dropped down from a QuickPath Interconnect and triple-channel memory controller to a Direct Media Interface and dual-channel memory controller. But don't freak out; This is more a loss of future-proofing than anything else given the minute performance differences between current dual- and triple-channel memory configurations.

An integrated PCI Express graphics controller on the Lynnfield CPUs can either deliver 16 lanes of bandwidth to a single PCI Express 2.0 videocard or split this connection into two x8 lanes for an SLI or CrossFire setup. Although it's a cut from the full 32 lanes (for a dual 16x or quad-8x configuration) provided by Core i7's X58 chipset, the bandwidth reduction should only affect those crazy enough to SLI or CrossFire dual-GPU videocards on a Lynnfield setup.

Turbo Boost: Automatic Overclocking

                     The new Core i7 800-series CPUs and the Core i5 750 still support the same automatic overclocking functionality, or Turbo Boost, as the Core i7 900-series processors. However, this feature has been jacked up on the newer chips. Core i7 900-series CPUs will only increase their multipliers to a maximum of two additional steps according to system demands (effectively taking a 3.33-GHz processor to 3.6-GHz depending on how many cores are in use). The new Lynnfield processors are able to jump up five multiplier steps for the 800-series chips (taking a 2.93-GHz processor to 3.6-GHz) and four for the Core i5 750 (2.66-GHz to a maximum 3.2-GHz).

Performance

                         Both Core i7 800-series processors support hyperthreading the same as their Core i7 900-series brethren. The Core i5 750 does not-its four physical cores are all that will appear in your operating system's task manager. Even so, the CPU's noteworthy performance makes it an excellent value for its roughly $200 price. We only saw a performance difference of 5 percent between the Core i5 750 and the roughly $555 Core i7 870 (based on WorldBench 6 testing of the two CPUs on identical system builds). In fact, the Core i5 750's score of 127 falls right around the scores set by competing Value and Power PCs that use Core i7 920 processors.

                       Test Bed: Intel DP55KG Motherboard, 4GB DDR3 1333 RAM, ATI Radeon HD 4890 graphics, 2x Seagate ST3750630AS hard disks (Raid 0), Windows Vista Ultimate 64 bit Service Pack 2

So where does that leave the Core i7 870? Given that its price is almost identical to that of the high-end 3.06-GHz Core i7 950 CPU, a processor that natively runs faster than the 2.93-GHz Core i7 870, it's difficult to see the compelling reason to pick up this chip. The Turbo Boost feature of the Core i7 870 does ultimately beat the speeds of the Core i7-950's, but for the enthusiast market, the increased memory support and bandwidth for multi-GPU setups might not be worth giving up. The Core i7 860 is more reasonably priced at $285, provided you can make sufficient use of its hyperthreading functionality.

                        It remains to be seen just how far the Core i7 800-series CPUs will overclock compared to the Core i7 900-series chips-the lower power draws of the 800-series processors could make quite a difference in this area. As for the Core i5 750, this chip looks to be a solid winner for those looking to dip their toes into the Nehalem platform without breaking the bank-given Intel's dramatic price points, that's always a strong possibility.

Android

                       Android is a software stack for mobile devices that includes an operating system, middleware and key applications. The Android SDK provides the tools and APIs necessary to begin developing applications on the Android platform using the Java programming language.

Features :

• Application framework enabling reuse and replacement of components
• Dalvik virtual machine optimized for mobile devices
• Integrated browser based on the open source WebKit engine
• Optimized graphics powered by a custom 2D graphics library; 3D graphics based on the OpenGL ES 1.0 specification (hardware acceleration optional)
• SQLite for structured data storage
• Media support for common audio, video, and still image formats (MPEG4, H.264, MP3, AAC, AMR, JPG, PNG, GIF)
• GSM Telephony (hardware dependent)
• Bluetooth, EDGE, 3G, and WiFi (hardware dependent)
• Camera, GPS, compass, and accelerometer (hardware dependent)
• Rich development environment including a device emulator, tools for debugging, memory and performance profiling, and a plugin for the Eclipse IDE.

Android Architecture :

The following diagram shows the major components of the Android operating system. Each section is described in more detail below.

Application Framework

                By providing an open development platform, Android offers developers the ability to build extremely rich and innovative applications. Developers are free to take advantage of the device hardware, access location information, run background services, set alarms, add notifications to the status bar, and much, much more. 

               Developers have full access to the same framework APIs used by the core applications. The application architecture is designed to simplify the reuse of components; any application can publish its capabilities and any other application may then make use of those capabilities (subject to security constraints enforced by the framework). This same mechanism allows components to be replaced by the user.

Underlying all applications is a set of services and systems, including:

• A rich and extensible set of Views that can be used to build an application, including lists, grids, text boxes, buttons, and even an embeddable web browser
• Content Providers that enable applications to access data from other applications (such as Contacts), or to share their own data
• A Resource Manager, providing access to non-code resources such as localized strings, graphics, and layout files
• A Notification Manager that enables all applications to display custom alerts in the status bar
• An Activity Manager that manages the lifecycle of applications and provides a common navigation backstack

Libraries :

                    Android includes a set of C/C++ libraries used by various components of the Android system. These capabilities are exposed to developers through the Android application framework. Some of the core libraries are listed below:

• System C library - a BSD-derived implementation of the standard C system library (libc), tuned for embedded Linux-based devices
• Media Libraries - based on PacketVideo's OpenCORE; the libraries support playback and recording of many popular audio and video formats, as well as static image files, including MPEG4, H.264, MP3, AAC, AMR, JPG, and PNG
• Surface Manager - manages access to the display subsystem and seamlessly composites 2D and 3D graphic layers from multiple applications
• LibWebCore - a modern web browser engine which powers both the Android browser and an embeddable web view
• SGL - the underlying 2D graphics engine
• 3D libraries - an implementation based on OpenGL ES 1.0 APIs; the libraries use either hardware 3D acceleration (where available) or the included, highly optimized 3D software rasterizer
• FreeType - bitmap and vector font rendering
• SQLite - a powerful and lightweight relational database engine available to all applications

Android Runtime :

• Android includes a set of core libraries that provides most of the functionality available in the core libraries of the Java programming language.

• Every Android application runs in its own process, with its own instance of the Dalvik virtual machine.
• Dalvik has been written so that a device can run multiple VMs efficiently. The Dalvik VM executes files in the Dalvik Executable (.dex) format which is optimized for minimal memory footprint.
• The VM is register-based, and runs classes compiled by a Java language compiler that have been transformed into the .dex format by the included "dx" tool.

• The Dalvik VM relies on the Linux kernel for underlying functionality such as threading and low-level memory management.

Linux Kernel

                 Android relies on Linux version 2.6 for core system services such as security, memory management, process management, network stack, and driver model. The kernel also acts as an abstraction layer between the hardware and the rest of the software stack.