Join The new ID of the future?
One of reasons why I go to CES is to see the newest gadgets. Some of these new devices are definitely planned to be out this year, and some will be out years from now. Watch the video of the RFID card reader with the OLED display and see which category that falls under.
Essentially, it is an ordinary card reader for reading an ordinary ID. As soon as the card goes over the reader, an OLED screen comes alive, and gives a 3D view of the face. I don’t think that the 3D effect is true 3D, but it is enough to let the user see a face at many angles like a mugshot, and even a close-up.
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Epson’s Augmented Reality cards for the New Year
Epson wants you to celebrate the new year with one of the coolest technological achievements from last year. I’m not talking about the tablet, but Augmented Reality.
True, augmented reality was not created last year, but it really flourished in 2009 with numerous ad campaigns. I first experienced it at CES 2009, and I called it the “Coolest Gadget ever”. I’m sure I’ll see it at CES 2010, and on many more applications throughout the next year.
Apparently, there is some tradition in Japan that uses end of the year greeting cards, and so Epson decided to liven it up with a dash of augmented reality. These greeting cards, also known as nengajo, allow the users face to be wrapped in the animal personna of the new year. For 2010, this is the year of the tiger. I have a video of it after the jump if you want to see it for yourself, but I don’t have it translated.
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San Jose cops to get cameras on their heads
Some of you might remember when we reported on the Taser Axon, a camera that mounts on the head. According to Mercury News, the AXON project will apparently be used on police officers in the San Jose area.
Now, these devices are designed to sit right above the ear, just like you see in the picture. They will be activated as soon as the officer speaks to a citizen or suspect.
This is perfect for cases in which it is “your word against the officer”. This sort of makes you think twice when you really want to talk back to the cop you gave you a ticket that you know you didn’t deserve.
By the way, the videos are uploaded to a central server, and I would assume that the officer is to shut them off in downtime such as on the toilet or at the donut shop.
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Tamrac ZipShot Tripod unfolds like a tentpole
I’m going to CES in just a month or so, and every time I am at this great electronics convention, I see overburdened reporters who are lugging around tripods.
I can see their lives being easier if they used the Tamrac ZipShot Tripod. It uses the same technology that I have on my tent. You know those poles that have elastic in between and can snap into place with just a flick? The ZipShot has it, and enables you to set up a 44-inch tall tripod in just seconds.
Of course, I don’t know how sturdy it is, because as I recall, those tent poles usually don’t stand up very well. Don’t get me wrong, they stand, but they feel so wobbly. I believe that it can carry a maximum weight of 3 lbs, and it has a “metal ball-head with strong aluminum legs”. However, it does fold up to something that is only 15 inches long and weighs 11 ounces.
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3D Rendering not difficult with ProFORMA
Whenever I think of 3D scanning, I think of this very complicated process of a multitude of cameras surrounding an object, taking pictures at every angle, and then blending them all together with a computer.
A PhD student at the Cambridge University Engineering Department named Qi Pan has made like Apple and “thought different”.
As you can see from the video after the jump, Pan took a detailed paper building and rotated it on an axis, filming it with an ordinary web camera. His ProFORMA (Probabilistic Feature-based On-line Rapid Model Acquisition) program scanned it, and he immediately had something ready for 3D model generation. He could even shake the real thing and move it, and the CG image would do the same. Wild!
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OWLE Bubo ready to pre-order
It has been a while since we covered the OWLE, a device made to harness the video capturing abilities of the iPhone 3GS. Back then, the OWLE (Optical Widgets for Life Enhancement) was in a concept stage, but the OWLE Bubo is ready for pre-order.
The Bubo has a hotshoe mount with LED lights, with four tripod mounts. It has a standard 37mm lens that is threaded so you can put other lenses on it, besides the one that the Bubo already comes with. I believe that it also comes with a front-facing microphone.
So what are we looking at, some new way that video bloggers can gain better video footage? I certainly hope so.
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Hands on Review of the Eye-Fi Explore Video
This isn’t the first time that we have reported on Eye-Fi products before, and chances are, it won’t be the last time. I finally tried it out for myself, and was fortunate enough to get my hands on the Eye-Fi Explore Video 4GB version.
For those who are not familiar with the Eye-Fi line, this is a memory card that allows the user to upload photos to their computer without any USB cable. You might be wondering how that is possible, and, truth be told, so am I. I can’t deny that it works, though. After a quick setup with my computer, I was able to view photos from my camera on my browser screen like magic. Of course, the user to be very specific about where the photos are to be sent, or it is very easy to wake up to find photos from your Eye-Fi floating all around your computer where you cannot retrieve them.
As for the video function, I found that it took quite a while to upload video footage. Not only that, it had to do this operation uninterrupted. That means if you have a video camera with the Eye-Fi Explore Video, then you better make certain you can leave it on for extended periods of time. Because if the battery runs out while the video is wirelessly downloading to your computer, then you have to do it again.
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Epson Address Expert printer series are good postcard printer
What you are looking at here isn’t some miniature all-in-one desktop computer with printer, but the Epson Address Expert.
This is a printer that is set up to postcards, and that looks like all it can print. I have to admit that it has been a while since I have sent a postcard, but they are still popular in Japan, so I’m told.
The Epson Address Expert series come in two forms: the E-800 and E-600. Each of them have a 7-inch LCD display with 5760 x 1440 dpi resolution, and are PC and Mac compatible. The E-800 includes a wireless keyboard so you can compose your well-wishing messages.
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