Photo Sphere 360 - Great News... Jelly Bean 4.2 Only.. Bummer

Photo Spheres are stored as JPEG files, and all of the information required to view them is embedded as open XML metadata in the image itself. You'll be able to peek 'em on your phone or share them easily through Google+, and perhaps best of all, publish them to Google Maps for the world to see.

http://maps.google.com/help/maps/streetview/contribute/#all

In Photo Sphere mode, you can capture the world around you: create fully immersive 360-degree shots, wide-angle scenic shots, and even what’s above and below you.

From Camera's main screen, touch the current mode icon and then the Photo Sphere icon.

An alignment box with a doughnut-shaped target appears, with the message “Align to start.”
Adjust the camera position so that the floating dot is precisely at the center of the doughnut target. It takes a few seconds for the camera to calibrate the scene as you hold the camera steady. When you succeed, a blue Shutter button with a white square appears below the image. Do not touch the button yet.

Move the camera laterally, up, or down. The alignment box and floating dot reappear. Align so that the floating dot is at the center.

When you succeed, a second image automatically appears next to the first.

Keep moving the camera, repeating the previous step, until you have photographed the entire scene you want to capture.

Touch the Shutter button to capture the Photo Sphere.

It takes a minute or two for the photo to render. You can preview it as it renders.

To view your most recent Photo Sphere, swipe left on the main camera screen, and touch the Photo Sphere icon to pan automatically through the shot. You can also drag to move through the captured scene.
To share a PhotoSphere that you're viewing in Gallery, touch the Share icon and select a sharing method.

Nikon and SONY DSLR Sensors

http://image-sensors-world.blogspot.com/2012/10/chipworks-reviews-full-frame-dslr.html

Full Frame DSLR Cameras Part I – Nikon vs Sony

By Ray Fontaine

This is a three part blog series on full-frame (FF) format cameras. Part I reviews Nikon and Sony’s relationship, Part II will discuss Canon’s FF product strategy, and Part III will address new entrants to the sector and speculation on the future of FF format cameras.

Part I: Nikon vs. Sony and Nikon <3 nbsp="nbsp" strong="strong">(hearts) Sony

The recent high profile Apple vs. Samsung patent infringement case further emphasizes the incestuous nature of the supply chain for components in consumer electronics. Apple has traditionally sourced a great many components for its smartphones and tablets from its competitor Samsung. An analogous relationship exists in the DSLR world where Nikon both designs its own CMOS image sensors (CIS) to be fabricated by a foundry partner, and sometimes uses CIS components from its camera competitor Sony. That Nikon sources CIS components from Sony and Aptina is not news. What is somewhat interesting is that after a run of Nikon-designed CIS devices in Nikon FF and APS-C cameras, Sony has muscled its way back in for the FF format D800 [1].

Double down on Smartphones.... yearly

NPD sees low-cost smartphone shipments doubling every year

updated 01:38 pm EDT, Mon October 22, 2012

From 2010 to 2016, low-cost smartphones to double yearly

The low-end smartphone market will experience phenomenal growth over the next six years, with shipments of models costing under $150 set to double every year between now and 2016. This according to NPD DisplaySearch's new Smartphones: Displays, Designs and Functionality report. The report sees low-cost smartphone shipments doubling every year from 2010 to 2016, with the sector moving 311 million units in 2016.

Growth in the low-end sector is driven in large part by the Asia Pacific region, where most of the component suppliers and manufacturing facilities that produce these devices are located. Most mobile phone subscribers can't afford to spend more than $200 on a phone in addition to their service plans, so manufacturers are pushing out new products quickly, allowing them to quickly market devices in developing regions.

Google's Android operating system is expected to feature heavily in the low-end surge. Low-cost handsets running Android are expected to grow from two percent of total smartphone shipments in 2012 to 29 percent in 2016. By 2016, low-cost Android models will account for more handsets than the total smartphone market in 2010.

The next-largest region after the Asia Pacific region is expected to be Latin America, with the Middle East and Africa following behind and Eastern Europe thereafter. Western Europe and North America will account for a small portion of sub-$150 smartphone sales.

Read more: http://www.electronista.com/articles/12/10/22/from.2010.to.2016.low.cost.smartphones.to.double.yearly/#ixzz2AJkSToDH

3G/4G HD Video Broadcast for under $3,000

Three technologies that signal new design for personal or enterprise remote video transmission....


TERADEK LINK BOX AIMS FOR BETTER VIDEO TRANSMISSION FROM THE FIELD USING CELLULAR TECHNOLOGY

By site editor Dan Chung:

Introducing Link: Bonded Cellular Hotspot from Teradek on Vimeo.

If you’re one of the growing band of TV camera operators or video journalists required to use cellular technology to send video back to your news organisation, you’ll be familiar with this problem: you set up and test your cellular connection at the location you want to broadcast from, but while it works just fine in certain places, in other places it struggles. Invariably it’s the place where the action happens that has poor coverage.

Link is the latest cellular bonding solution from Teradek that adds a new twist to this rapidly developing technology. It is a cellular hotspot, taking up to 6 cellular USB modems and forming a bonded connection intended to be placed at a location with the best signal reception at your venue. This allows camera crews to connect the signal from their Teradek Cube or Brik encoder equipped HD cameras to Link’s 300ft of dual band a/b/g/n WiFi coverage – without having to worry about whether their cellular modems will lose coverage as they move around. Link also supports asymmetrical bonding to guarantee the best possible connection, i.e. you can mix cellular, with Ethernet, fibre or even the popular BGAN satellite terminals.




The Teradek Link cellular bonding solution

Once Link receives the wireless video feed from one or more Teradek encoders, it uses its aggregated connections to transmit the stream via the internet to a Teradek Sputnik server back at the station or newspaper, where the various feeds are recombined into a cohesive video stream. From Sputnik, the feed can be decoded to a SDI feed for further editing or live broadcast. Alternatively, the Sputnik can send the video stream straight onto a content delivery network like Livestream.




Link running off a regular broadcast battery

When it comes to power, Link offers you the choice of a V-mount or Anton Bauer Gold-mount battery plate so you can keep the device running for long periods of time on a regular broadcast battery.

Link has another unique trick up its sleeve – the device acts similarly to a regular wireless router, allowing any 802.11 enabled device to connect to it for internet access even while you are broadcasting. This means you can upload edited video content from the field over Link’s cellular connection. It also enables iOS devices to monitor the live feed in real time. Link also accepts feeds from multiple Teradek encoders simultaneously, which opens the doors for multi-cam live broadcasts over cellular bandwidth.

So, how would you use this technology? Link should work well for live event coverage during the upcoming US elections and provides an attractive alternative to other common backpack systems. The feature of bonding multiple BGAN terminals and cellular connections may allow for higher quality transmission from war zones and disasters too.




Link's ports allow the bonding of several connections


Teradek also has a partnership with ZiXi to feed HD quality broadcast video back to a TV station. This is achieved by installing a ZiXi license on Link and feeding the wireless video streams from Teradek encoders through one of Link’s ethernet jacks. Zixi is a proprietary streaming protocol designed specifically to guarantee HD quality video over the internet, surpassing the performance of common generic protocols such as RTMP. After being transmitted to the web, the stream is processed through ZiXi’s cloud service and optionally fed via fibre lines to major broadcast stations.

The Teradek Link ships September 2012 for $2990. Watch out for more details on the Teradek site


FaceTime via cellular: Will it work, and can you afford it?

Cellular FaceTime implies next iPhone will work over faster LTE, analyst says
By Matt Hamblen
June 11, 2012 05:15 PM ET

Computerworld -
Apple's next-generation iOS will allow FaceTime video chats over cellular connections, Apple said Monday. Until now, FaceTime has only worked over Wi-Fi networks.

When iOS 6 launches this Fall, having a cellular connection for FaceTime will be a welcome change for many users who don't have ready access to a Wi-Fi hotspot. But analysts question whether today's 3G networks could offer sufficient bandwidth to handle the live video coupling, or if 4G LTE being rolled out by the major carriers will be affordable when data plans are used to support FaceTime.

The 4G LTE being installed by AT&T and Verizon Wireless (and expected from Sprint this year) is about 10 times faster than their older 3G -- with average download speeds of more than 10Mbps. Meanwhile, the next iPhone is expected to support LTE when introduced later this year.

Apple's FaceTime over cellular announcement "implies that 4G is coming in the iPhone 5," said Ron Enderle, an analyst at Enderle Group.

Without LTE, a 3G connection with an iPhone 4 or iPhone 4S could be frustrating for users, since even Wi-Fi connections over FaceTime aren't always clear and sometimes don't have synchronous voice and video streams.

Wi-Fi data rates over 802.11n max out at 450Mbps, according to Wi-Fi.org. Many more commonplace 802.11a or 802.11g Wi-Fi connections max out at 54Mbps, still many times faster than the LTE being introduced in the U.S. Wi-Fi over 802.11b is rated at up to 11Mbps.

Even if the connection is fast enough, a cellular connection for FaceTime could be prohibitively expensive, as some users have discovered when downloading video clips or movies.

"I'm sure FaceTime will work over cellular, but the question is how well?" said Phillip Redman, an analyst at Gartner. Costs are harder to predict, he noted, unless a user has an unlimited data plan, like the one that Sprint offers, he added.

Having FaceTime over cellular "also doesn't mean that people will never use Wi-Fi again," Redman said. "I'd say the majority of use will still be on Wi-Fi."

Jack Gold, an analyst at J. Gold Associates, said FaceTime over cellular will "probably work...especially with LTE, although not very well with 2G or perhaps even 3G."

Gold was more concerned about the expense of cellular video chats. "With the carriers going to rationed data plans, what will heavy users have when they get their bills at the end of the month?" Gold asked. "Video takes bandwidth, even if it is highly compressed, and bandwidth is not free."

Apple hasn't defined how much bandwidth a typical video call will take, so "there is no good way to know what it will cost users," Gold added.

FaceTime over cellular "certainly [won't work out] if it raises people's bills" with carriers, Gold said.

Stories of exorbitant data usage bills for downloading video over a cellular connection are growing commonplace and AT&T and Verizon now offer tips and smartphone monitoring tools to guard against exceeding monthly data limits. They also send warnings to users when limits are exceeded.

Still, customers' surprises could increase when FaceTime goes cellular.

One Computerworld reader who asked not to be named said she was surprised recently to get an $80 unexpected addition to her Verizon bill primarily for downloading a video attachment from a relative sent via email on her new iPhone operating over 3G. The video was less than 10 minutes long, she said, although she confessed she wasn't familiar with the terms of her new data plan or how she should monitor it.

Computerworld illustrated the data usage problem with video over Verizon LTE in December by downloading an HD 128-minute feature-length film to a Galaxy Nexus smartphone, which took up 3.7 GB of data. At the time, Verizon was charging $30 for 4GB per month at the time, up from the normal $30 for 2GB.

In addition to tools to monitor data usage, AT&T and Verizon also have some sage, if ironic, advice to avoid high data use over cellular: use Wi-Fi when possible. "You may want to use Wi-Fi when streaming video," Verizon said in a recent list of tips to its customers to help manage a data usage allowance.

It's advice that could matter for FaceTime-over-cellular as well.

Sony Bloggie Live Lets You Live-Stream Video Over Wi-Fi

By Tim Moynihan, PCWorld
Jan 9, 2012 5:00 PM

Sony Bloggie LiveToday has been a big day for connected-camera announcements at CES 2012 in Las Vegas. Sony is the latest big-name company to announce a video-capture device with built-in Wi-Fi, following wireless camera announcements earlier in the day from Kodak andSamsung.

Even within the realm of those new connected camera offerings, the Sony Bloggie Live pocket camcorder has a unique twist: It allows shooters to live-stream video to the Web while filming, and the camcorder is able to receive short messages through an online service as you're shooting.

The live Web-streaming and one-way chat functions are provided via a partnership with Qik, a live video-sharing service owned by Skype. Using a pre-loaded Qik app, the Bloggie Live camcorder can also share links to live video streams via Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and e-mail directly from the camcorder. Sony will also launch a new cloud-storage and -sharing service, PlayMemories Online, that can be accessed on smartphones, tablets, and other connected devices.

While the camcorder records at full high-definition, live streams are limited to 480-by-270 VGA resolution in order to keep lag time and choppy footage at a minimum. Live-broadcasting from the device is limited to 30 minutes per clip, and a full 1080p version of the video footage is saved on the Bloggie Live's 8GB internal hard drive.

The connectivity options are limited to Wi-Fi at this point, but Sony and Verizon have teamed up to offer a $50 credit for anyone who buys both a Bloggie Live camcorder and a Verizon 4G LTE Jetpack Mobile hotspot, which can be used together to stream video from the Bloggie via a 4G cellular connection.

Sony Bloggie Live

Outside of the wireless connectivity options, the new Bloggie Live is also well-equipped: When it's not streaming video, it shoots 12.8-megapixel still images while it's recording 1080p video at 30fps (as well as 720p at 60fps), has a front-mounted LED lamp/flash, a macro autofocus mode, and offers digital image stabilization. The camcorder is operated via a 3-inch touchscreen, and an integrated USB connector pops out of the bottom of the unit.

Sony says that the new Bloggie line's performance has been improved using popular smartphones such as the Apple iPhone and Samsung Galaxy SII as a barometer of sorts. The company claims that the CMOS sensor in the new Bloggie lineup offers better contrast, detail, white balance, and low-light shooting than the leading smartphone cameras on the market, and that the new pocket camcorders were developed to offer a a significant video-quality advantage over the best phones.

Sony Bloggie SportPriced at $250, the Sony Bloggie Live pocket camcorder will be available in January, right after CES.

In addition to the Bloggie Live, Sony also introduced a new ruggedized pocket camcorder that offers many of the same core specs, minus the Wi-Fi capabilities.

The waterproof and shockproof Bloggie Sport has a dedicated mode for shooting underwater, and it records 1080p video and 12.8-megapixel stills. It's controlled via a 2.7-inch touchscreen and offers a pop-out USB connector, digital stabilization, an LED lamp, and 4GB of internal storage. Due in February, it's priced at $180.

GeoSpatial Tools and Services Core to DoD

U.S. Defense Geospatial Tools and Services- the Modern Warrior's Weaponry

October 18, 2012

Frost & Sullivan: 

Basic tools have reached market capacity, and a shift to services is growing

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., Oct. 17, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Participants within the U.S. defense geospatial products market have reached a point in which each has established their particular niche. The transformation into a tools and services market has begun, as companies develop applications that can enhance and integrate vast amounts of information on to geographic canvases. The advent of "big data" (geospatial data so large and complex it becomes difficult to process) is a driving force behind initiatives focused on managing new data formats, such as full motion video, high-definition and 3-D graphics.

New research from Frost & Sullivan (www.frost.defense.com) finds that Department of Defense (DoD) spending on geospatial products and research is estimated to reach $3.21 billion by 2017. This amount would be significantly higher if classified spending were publicly accessible for reporting.

To view the video on "Analysis of U.S. Defense Geospatial Markets" and for the full multimedia experience of this release, please send an email to Jeannette Garcia, Corporate Communications, at jeannette.garcia@frost.com, with your full name, company name, title, telephone number, company email address, company website, city, state and country.

The volume of data being gathered for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) has become unmanageable. The number of sensors deployed on the ground, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and satellites continues to soar, as does the ability to keep collection assets in place for longer periods of time. As improvements to systems create the ability to generate even larger volumes of data, U.S. DoD planners are struggling to create methods to ensure that the data collected is useful for warfighters.

"ISR systems supporting operations in Afghanistan are reported to gather over 53 terabytes of data daily," said Aerospace & Defense Senior Industry Analyst John Hernandez. "This is a significant increase from the start of the war in this country, in which a single terabyte of information was considered a large volume of data."

In order to meet the challenge of processing and taking advantage of the amounts of geospatial data generated, a mechanism is required that can automatically sort data to the proper users. On the other hand, geospatial data requires exploitation by qualified intelligence analysts that are being inundated with large quantities of raw data. The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is developing technologies that will automate and streamline some initial analysis functions to speed up the exploitation process.

The essential value of current imagery, full-motion-video and terrain data continues to generate dependency on geospatial tools and services. In addition to the obvious intelligence value of near-real-time geospatial products and services, the ability to have similar access in the event of national emergencies or natural disasters is invaluable. Geospatial intelligence (GEOINT) can also collect what is sometimes referred to as "nontraditional data." For example, the amount of cultivated land in a certain area may indicate increased stability. These assets can provide valuable information that provides a better understanding of the adversary and operational environment.

Read more: Frost & Sullivan: U.S. Defense Geospatial Tools and Services- the Modern Warrior's Weaponry - FierceGovernmentIT http://www.fiercegovernmentit.com/press-releases/frost-sullivan-us-defense-geospatial-tools-and-services-modern-warriors-wea#ixzz29rv4Gd7r
Subscribe: http://www.fiercegovernmentit.com/signup?sourceform=Viral-Tynt-FierceGovernmentIT-FierceGovernmentIT

Data Radios - Pathmaker General Dynamics

Pathmaker™ Network Radios

Create networks in any environment

• Instantly form a network where no infrastructure exists
• Work when traditional networks are overloaded or destroyed
• Operate with existing radio systems to extend coverage

Anytime, Anywhere Instant Connectivity

Pathmaker Network Radios provide dynamic wireless, mobile, ad-hoc networking communications without reliance on network infrastructure. Pathmaker Radio users become their own network, which makes the radios ideal for use in remote locations where no infrastructure exists or where the infrastructure has been destroyed or overloaded.

Where legacy network infrastructure exists, the Pathmaker Network Radio System can take advantage of those networks by providing gateways, thereby increasing the network's footprint and reach. With a maximum of 32 radio users per network, users can form traditional squad communications groups, or extend range and coverage by connecting to multiple networks. Users can communicate privately (one to one), as a group (one to many), and have multiple private and group sessions.

Thales and General Dynamics - Rifleman Radio

September 17, 2012 - Thales Communications, Inc. announces that the U.S. Army has awarded the second Low Rate Initial Production (LRIP) contract for AN/PRC-154 Rifleman Radios, part of the Joint Tactical Radio System Handheld, Manpack, and Small Form Fit (JTRS HMS) program. General Dynamics C4 Systems is the prime contractor for the JTRS HMS program, and Thales is responsible for producing 50 percent of all LRIP Rifleman Radios. With this latest award for 13,000 radios and associated ancillaries, the Army has procured more than 19,000 AN/PRC-154 Rifleman Radios.

Jointly developed and manufactured by Thales and General Dynamics, the Rifleman Radio is a lightweight, body worn radio that transmits voice and data simultaneously utilizing the Soldier Radio Waveform. It brings secure (Type 2) squad-level communications to the soldier at the tactical edge of the battlefield network. The radio allows self-forming, ad hoc, voice and data networks and enables any leader at the tactical level to track individual soldier position location information, giving dismounted soldiers a much-needed situational awareness capability. The Rifleman Radio is a core component of the Army's Capability Set 13, which provides network components, associated equipment, and software that will, for the first time, deliver integrated voice and data capabilities to soldiers at the tactical edge.

In January, an operational assessment of the Rifleman Radio was completed by the Army's 75th Ranger Regiment in Afghanistan. In its first combat use, the radio improved mission effectiveness through enhanced networked communications and situational awareness. During March through May, the Army's 2nd Brigade 1st Armored Division used the Rifleman Radio in Network Integration Evaluation (NIE) 12.2. The radio performed extremely well in an operational environment, delivering a robust voice and data network to the tactical edge of the battlefield.

"The Rifleman Radio has received a tremendously positive response from the soldiers," said Michael Sheehan, President and CEO of Thales Communications, Inc. "Thales is proud to play a role in the Army 's brigade modernization program by arming our nation 's warfighters with the smallest, lightest, and most power-efficient equipment possible."

As with previous orders, Thales and General Dynamics will manufacture and deliver equal quantities of Rifleman Radios, ensuring that there are two qualified sources and that the radio remains cost competitive prior to transition to competitive Full Rate Production. Thales's Rifleman Radios are manufactured at the company 's Clarksburg, Md., facilities.

Note: The NIEs are a series of semi-annual, soldier-led evaluations designed to further integrate and mature the U.S. Army's tactical communications network. Conducted at Fort Bliss, Texas, and White Sands Missile Range (WSMR), New Mexico, the NIEs assess network capabilities in a robust operational environment and determine whether they perform as needed and interoperate with existing systems.