Tiny cameras with big sensors and swappable lenses are like, a big deal. How big? Nikon just built their first brand new camera system for the first time in practically 50 years. It’s the Nikon 1. And yeah, it’s kind of awesome.
There’s a lot going on in the Nikon 1 that makes it fantastic. It shoots video and photos simultaneously and seamless, without interrupting video—even at 1080p. A new Motion Snapshot feature combines photo and video seamlessly—snap a photo, and it shoots a second a video simultaneously at 60fps. When you hit play, it spools out 2.5 seconds of slow-motion video at 24fps. Speaking of slow-motion, it records at 1200fps at its super slowest (though the video resolution is a scrunchy 320×120). Along the same route, a new Smart Photo Select feature snaps 20 images at 30fps, then automatically surfaces the five best shots based on factors like sharpness and composition. Nikon’s saying it’s got the world’s fastest autofocus to boot.

Vital specs for camera nerds:
• 10.1-megapixel CX format CMOS sensor (13.2mm x 8.88mm)
• All-new Nikon 1 lens mount system
• Dual-core Expeed 3 sensor, which is why it’s all fast and able to do photo/video simultaneously
• A new 73-point hybrid autofocus system that combines contrast and phase-detection, switching between the two seamlessly;
• Video’s 1080p/30fps; 1080i/60fps; 720p/60fps; output in h.264 format
• Slow motion video: 640 x 240/400fps; 320 x 120/1,200 fps
• ISO 100-3200 (expandable to 6400)
• 10fps bursts, but with AF locked, it can shoot at up to 60fps, which is the world’s fastest continuous shooting speed, according to Nikon
• 12-bit RAW

There are two models, both out Oct. 20: The standard J1 ($650 for the kit) and the more pro V1 ($900). With the V1, you get a 1.4-million dot electronic viewfinder, electronic shutter, stereo input, multi-accessory port (for speedlight flash and GPS) and a magnesium alloy body.
Oh, and the lenses. There’s four—a 10-30mm f3.5-5.6 kit, 10mm f2.8 pancake, 30-100mm f3.8-5.6 zoom, and possibly most interesting, a power zoom 10-100mm f4.5-5.6 lens designed for quiet zooming while shooting video. (It’s also the priciest, at $750.)

In case you’re wondering just how serious Nikon is about this brave new world of mirrorless interchangeable lens cameras—you know, besides developing their first brand new camera system in five decades—execs tonight kept talking about how it’s the future of their company. While a ton of camera companies have been pushing this kind of compact, mirrorless interchangeable lens camera—-Sony, Samsung, Panasonic and Olympus—Nikon’s the first of the big two to jump into the game, so this kind of camera officially has a new kind of staying power.

That said, there’s a lot left to see here. How good is this camera and the stuff it shoots? The Nikon 1 sensor is markedly smaller than the Micro Four Thirds sensors in a lot of the competition, and dwarfed by the full APS-C-sized sensors in Sony’s new NEX cameras. Still, I’m pretty excited about the big picture here, where every major camera company is slogging it out in a whole new category, where a lot of the old rules don’t apply, fighting to make a better, smaller camera.
[Gizmodo]

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In 2003, Danish developer IO Interactive and publishing giant EA released Freedom Fighters for the Playstation 2, Gamecube, and original Xbox. The third person shooter told an alternative history story in which Soviet Russia was the world’s lone super power. The plot takes place in New York City after the Russians have invaded the States. The US government and military quickly fall, and it’s now up to the titular freedom fighters to liberate the city. Similar to the movie Red Dawn, the majority of the plot centers around Chris Stone and his joining of the resistance to tackle the communist threat.

Freedom Fighters provided a fast paced and strategic thrill ride. It unfortunately, also ended on a rather big cliffhanger, with only NYC having been liberated. When news that IO Interactive was looking for a multiplayer developer for a yet unannounced third person title “with strong cooperative multiplayer elements,” there was some speculation that a sequel was on the way. IO Interactive has remained mostly quiet on the subject, but does seem to be aware of the demand, and despite eschewing previous plans for Freedom Fighters 2 in favor of Kane & Lynch development, representatives have said recently that a sequel is something they’re interested in doing.

It would seem as though now is an ideal time to further the franchise as co-operative gameplay is more prominent than ever, and the mission structure of Freedom Fighters fits that model very well. The first, while promising, was limited to the capabilities of the hardware at the time. Players could recruit other fighters through a charisma system, in which the more heroic of deeds were rewarded with experience points. These points could then be used to increase the player’s Charisma Meter. Once a certain level was reached, players were given the option to recruit more fighters to fight alongside them. Success in Freedom Fighters was based entirely on how well the player could control their squad.

The game often required players to take a strategic position above a battle and issue orders using one of three face buttons for certain actions. The orders to be given were attack, follow, and defend, and could be given individually or as a group. The issue with the command system that persisted with all players, was the inability to select a specific fighter in the middle of battle. IO opted for a cyclical system, in which the player went through a rotation for who to control.
[TGE]

Nintendo, the darling of the gaming industry just a few short years ago, has come under increasing criticism, over the past few months. The 3DS has been a disaster, and the company is haemorrhaging money at a frightening rate.

However, despite all of this, the firm has refused to turn to an obvious money-making scheme – developing games for phones.

“This is absolutely not under consideration,” the company’s president said recently. “If we did this, Nintendo would cease to be Nintendo. Having a hardware development team in-house is a major strength. It’s the duty of management to make use of those strengths.”

The company is hoping that it’s price cut for the 3DS will revitalise its flagging flagship handheld.
[GW]

This week Wacom introduced their Cintiq 24HD, a 24-inch touchscreen, pressure sensitive display.

The Cintiq 24HD, which is now Wacom’s largest in this category, boasts a 1920 x 1200 resolution with a 178 degree viewing angle and 16:10 aspect ratio. In addition to being color calibrated ready, it’s capable of detecting 2048 levels of pen pressure and 40 degrees of tilt. All this equates to precision control and the ability to accurately influence line weight and opacity effects.

To help expedite the work experience, and flow, Wacom has outfitted the tablet like screen with up to 10 customizable shortkey buttons and more importantly a set of touch rings, which can be mapped to functions such as zooming, scrolling and changing brush size.

Design work calls for sitting for long hours, so that’s why Wacom has built the Cintiq 24HD on top of an adjustable stand that allows you to easily manipulate the height of the display as if you were drawing on a sketch table.

The Wacom Cintiq 24HD is both PC and Mac compatible, and will sell for $2499. Sorry, no word on a release date.
[GR]

SanDisk introduces the Memory Vault, a storage device designed to preserve your photos in their original quality for up to 100 years. The unit uses SanDisk’s Chronolock technology that includes the key elements of advanced solid-state storage to create a proprietary memory management solution. The Memory Vault can keep users’ image at their original quality, for up to 100 years.
[IN]

Researchers at Intel debuted an experimental processor at the company’s developer forum this week, which could lead to devices with significantly lower energy consumption.

The chip — codenamed “Claremont” — is known as a near-threshold voltage processor, which allows transistors to operate at super-low, near “threshold” voltages to increase efficiency and decrease energy consumption. This level is very near the voltage at which transistors switch on and start conducting current, which is the “threshold” voltage.

In the demonstration, the experimental low-power processor was used on a PC running Linux OS, powered only off a solar cell the size of a postage stamp. The processor was used in conjunction with another experimental project, a concept DRAM called the hybrid memory cube, which is a super efficient memory interface.

“We used a solar cell in the demonstration to show how little power was required,” said Intel spokeswoman Connie Brown in an interview. “But it could run on anything that has power.” Like lemon juice, or perhaps a potato as Brown suggested. “The key message is the low power and how much more transistors would be power-efficient running at near-threshold.”

Several years of research have led to Intel’s near-threshold voltage-processor design. It’s heat-sink free, and rather than operating at those super low thresholds all the time, it switches into NTV mode (under 10 mW in power consumption) when its workload is light.

This means, rather than powering off completely, a device can stay on in an “ultra low-power state,” preserving active processes and open applications — “always-on” devices. The technology could even be used to develop “zero-power” architectures “where power consumption is so low that we could power entire digital devices off solar energy, or off the energy that surrounds us every day”, like vibrations or movements, ambient wireless signals or solar power.

NVT could find itself in a host of applications ranging from processors and mobile devices to embedded devices, appliances and automobiles.

Energy efficiency has always been a concern for device manufacturers and chipset makers, but as the hardware industry moves to mobile and more lightweight computing, it’s become a much bigger issue.

So far, Intel has had some difficulties finding its way into mobile devices because of power consumption issues. Its low-power competitor ARM has dominated in that area, even threatening to displace it as the processor in Apple laptops and desktops (according to rumor).

But Intel’s latest offerings, including its Atom processors and Oak Trail processors, have become much more efficient. Intel’s latest, the Tri-Gate 3-D “Ivy Bridge” transistor, also marks a major improvement, both in design, and in its 30 percent improvement in performance.

Photo: Intel
NVT is a significantly bigger step than these commercial processors. The technology results in a 5 to 10x improvement in energy consumption.

But it’s not without problems. When electrical noise is introduced, logic level readings can be inaccurate. So the challenge is to maintain a balance of performance versus efficiency.

“Most digital designs operate at nominal voltages — about 1V today. NVT circuits operate around 400 to 500 millivolts,” says Intel researcher Sriram Vangal in a blog post on the subject. Consistently running electronics at such low voltage levels is a challenge because the difference between a “0″ and a “1″ becomes very small (electrical signal-wise).

Intel’s experimental NVT processor may never find itself in an actual consumer product, Vangal says, but is an important stepping stone towards future processors that will.
[WR]

Jawbone’s Jambox totally caught us off guard. Before listening to the diminutive device we had already decided that it couldn’t possibly produce awesome sound. Boy were we wrong. So that’s why we’re reserving judgement on Bose’s Soundlink Mobile, a Bluetooth, battery powered speaker (it can also be plugged in).

While the design leaves something to be desired – it looks oh so circa 1980s – it does sport four midrange drivers and two dual-opposing woofers that are placed opposite each other to provide full-range bass performance. It measures 5″ x 9.5″ x 2″, and weighs less than three pounds.

You can pair up to 6 Bluetooth devices with the portable speaker, though they can’t connect simultaneously and you’ll need to disconnect the first device in order to add a new one. Unfortunately, there is no AirPlay support.

As far as we can tell there is no hidden microphone for taking calls, but Bose has incorporated an Apple like Smartcover that magnetically adheres to the front of the speaker and automatically powers it off.

According to Bose the built-in battery will last up to 3-4 hours at max volume, or 8 hours at a “normal level.” Unlike the Jambox the battery is user replaceable, and the box has been ruggedized for added durability.

We’re not sure on a release date, but the cheapest model will sell for $299, while the premium version will fetch $349 and include chrome detailing and a leather cover.
[GR]

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Sony devoted nearly all of its Tokyo Game Show press conference to the PlayStation Vita, but one omitted bit of news concerning the device was revealed today in 140 characters or less. In a post to his Twitter feed, Sony Worldwide Studios president Shuhei Yoshida confirmed that the PS Vita will not be region locked.

The PS Vita won’t be region-locked.
After a Twitter user asked Yoshida whether it had been confirmed that the PS Vita would be region free, the Sony executive replied with a simple, “Yes, it is.” Yoshida did not indicate whether the PS Vita will be open through just physical media, or also digital content. Sony had not responded to GameSpot’s request for clarification as of press time.

Currently, with the PlayStation 3 and PSP, physical media is released region-free, allowing games published in one country to be played without hassle in another. However, Sony’s digital strategy restricts content to the region in which it is released, with access being determined by the region of a user’s PlayStation Network profile.

As announced earlier this week, the PS Vita will launch alongside 26 games in Japan on December 17. Sony expects to release its newest gaming hardware in Europe and North America sometime in early 2012.
[GS]

Haptic feedback isn’t exactly something that’d blow people’s mind these days, with most mobile devices and gaming controllers already packing a little vibrator to spice up one’s gaming experience. While these motors do the job just fine for delivering the sensation of large engines and explosions, their monotonic performance and relatively high minimum output threshold means they can’t reproduce finer vibration. For instance, you wouldn’t be able to feel a guitar string fade away after a strum, nor would you feel the finer end of a spring recoil. This is where Bayer MaterialScience’s ViviTouch — previously dubbed Reflex — tries to fill the void.

For those who aren’t familiar, the magic behind ViviTouch is its electroactive polymer (or EAP in short) — imagine a thin sheet that consists of two electrode layers sandwiching a dielectric elastomer film, and when a voltage is applied, the two attracting electrodes compress the entire sheet. This slim, low-powered ViviTouch actuator module can be placed underneath an inertial mass (usually a battery) on a tray, thus amplifying the haptic feedback produced by the host device’s audio signal between 50Hz and 300Hz (with a 5ms response time)

[EG]

Olympus Third generation ‘Pen Lite’ adds tilting LCD screen but subtracts handgrip and integral flash
Available in a quartet of colours, the E-PL3 may look gorgeous with its brushed aluminium faceplate and retro-style dials, but it’s worth a bit of back-story to secure a critical perspective. The original E-PL1 digital ‘Pen’ camera from Olympus – so-named because it harked back to an original camera series from the 1950s/60s with its refreshingly retro design – was the third such digital model to be released, and the first to include body integral pop up flash. Mystifyingly, this third generation E-PL3, appearing a mere seven months after the E-PL2 was launched, omits this arguably essential feature, long with the side-mounted handgrip that went with it. Clearly size is everything, and with the E-PL3 its manufacturer is aiming for minimal proportions rather than maximum features.

All is not lost however, as even though the E-PL3 is less chunky than its predecessors, and we’ll painfully admit looks the better for it, a plastic-y clip-on flashgun is included in the box. The impression this gives is rather better when actually mounted on the camera, attached via a combination of the vacant hotshoe and rear-mounted accessory port.

For anyone looking to trade up from a pocket snapper to a more sophisticated camera on which the lens can be swapped and more ‘professional’ looking results can be achieved, the E-PL3 is a good place to start and will set you back around £549 with bundled 14-42mm zoom lens. This provides the equivalent of a 28-84mm focal range in 35mm film terms, so it’s as adept at shoehorning landscapes into frame as it is excellent for portraiture, capable of background-blurring shallow depth of field effects. The zoom isn’t automatic however, so requires steady adjustment by hand, particularly when shooting video.
[T3]