Apple News | OmniVision Releases World's Smallest 1080p HD Camera Module

OmniVision today introduced the OV2720, the world's first 1/6-inch, native 1080p/30 high-definition (HD) CMOS image sensor designed for notebook, netbook, webcam and video conferencing applications. Based on OmniVision's 1.4 micron OmniBSI™ backside illumination technology, the new 1080p sensor delivers video conference quality HD video recording in a small enough form factor to meet the module size and height requirements of today's thin notebook designs. The OV2720 is currently sampling with multiple tier-one customers and is slated to go into mass production in June 2010.

"Increased broadband capability, inexpensive high-quality image sensors and the increasing availability of high-quality external and embedded PC web cameras will drive both consumer and business video conferencing," said Brian O'Rourke, principal analyst at In-Stat. "In 2010, we expect over 70 percent of mobile PCs to ship with embedded cameras, and the availability of sensors such as OmniVision's OV2720 will make high definition video conferencing more popular in the notebook and netbook PC segments."

"Consumer demand for HD video has never been greater. Display formats are moving to a 16 by 9 aspect ratio, TV broadcast is embracing HD, and social media platforms such as YouTube and Facebook are supporting HD," said Nick Nam, product marketing manager at OmniVision. "With the OV2720, OmniVision continues to lead the industry in bringing to market innovative, high performance HD solutions, addressing the growing demand for the HD video-enabled devices of the YouTube generation. With the broadest portfolio of HD video products in the industry, we enable our customers to find the right solution for their price, performance and size requirements."

The OV2720 is the first 1/6-inch sensor to offer native 1080p HD resolution. Native HD enables full field of view video with optimized image quality, sensitivity, color reproduction and clarity because no scaling or cropping is required to achieve HD resolution. The 1.4-micron OmniBSI pixel achieves best-in-class low light sensitivity of 680-mV/lux-sec, while enabling extremely thin modules with a z-height of 3.5 mm. Moreover, the OV2720 can use binning to further increase its low-light performance to double that of similar-sized VGA sensors. The OV2720's outstanding low-light performance and slim form factor combine to make it an ideal choice for tier-one notebook manufacturers.

The OV2720 CMOS image sensor supports multiple platform architectures and controllers with both parallel and MIPI interfaces. It allows system designers to leverage the same opto-electrical design across various products and multiple market segments to reduce product development time. Exposure control, white balance and defective pixel canceling are programmable through the serial camera control bus interface. In addition, the OV2720 uses proprietary sensor technology to improve image quality. By reducing or eliminating common lighting or electrical sources of image contamination, such as fixed pattern noise and smearing, the sensor can generate a clean, fully stable color image.

Apple News | iPad Controlled Video Blimp

reakfastNewYork created a blimp that is controlled by an iPad's accelerometer and outfitted it with a video camera.

We created a modified BlimpDuino controlled by an iPad's accelerometer for guests to have a play with. Added bonuses: you get a cockpit view on the iPad, so you can see whatever the blimp sees, and it just so happens that anyone that looks up at the blimp has their face turned into one of the exhibited Munny character's faces.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KRlQTBPtYfc&feature=player_embedded

Apple News | More Video of the Vietnam iPhone 4G Prototype

Two more videos of the Vietnam iPhone 4G prototype have surfaced online.

Take a look below...


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cr61ejrzaWc&feature=player_embedded


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wIUkUv4VT44&feature=player_embedded

Apple News | Foxconn to Ship 24 Million iPhone 4Gs in 2010

Starting in June, Foxconn will ship 24 million units of the Apple iPhone 4G which features an improved display, more memory, and a larger battery, according to Digitimes.

Foxconn will ship 4.5 million units in the first half and 19.5 million units for the rest of 2010. Apple is expected to unveil the iPhone 4G on June 7, 2010 during Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference. The new device will adopt IPS (in-plane switching) panels with FFS (fringe-field switching) technology and a 960×640 resolution, Kuo said, noting that LG Display and Prime View International are the panel suppliers.

Digitimes also claims the iPhone 4G will run on the Arm Cortex A8 processor and have a 512MB memory module from Samsung which is double that of the iPhone 4GS.

The iPhone 4G's display panel is said to be 33% thinner to allow for a larger battery module supplied by Simplo Technology and Dynapack International Technology.

Apple News | Check Out the Evolution of Gameloft [Video]

Check out the evolution of Gameloft in 'Shaping Digital Gaming' a video celebrating their 10th anniversary





http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Cwtf9L4JB0&feature=player_embedded

Apple News | SBSettings Adds iPad SSID Option

BigBoss has updated SBSettings with two fixes and an iPad only statusbar SSID option.

The future of BossPrefs is here: A full BossPrefs replacement. Move your important toggles directly into Springboard where they are always available instantly even while other apps are running.

v3.0.11
- Fix: Fixed issue where statusbar free memory were not updating regularly enough.
- New: iPad only added statusbar SSID option.
- Fix: Some minor cosmetic issues.

You can download SBSettings from the Big Boss Cydia Repository.

Apple News | Steam for Mac vs. Steam for Windows: Benchmarks

The first comparison benchmarks of Steam for Mac vs. Steam for Windows has been posted by TomsHardware.

The site used a late-2009 MacBook Pro and a custom-built hackintosh for testing.

We can see immediately that Portal for Mac is nowhere near as capable as its Windows counterpart. However, there are several interesting points to take away from this. Portal for Mac, in its current form, is at least able to deliver playable frame rates, even on a lower-end Mac like last year's MacBook Pro. Admittedly, the biggest bottleneck here is the GPU.

On the hackintosh side, it looks like the Mac drivers play a key role. "Until Apple comes out with higher-performance drivers, we'll continue to see a significant delta between the two platforms." TomsHardware also notes that OpenGL is better suited to productivity than gaming.

Apple News | Google, Intel, Sony to Announced 'Smart TV' This Week

Google, Intel, and Sony are expected to announce a significant breakthrough in consumer electronics with the launch of a 'Smart TV' platform this week, according to the Financial Times.

The announcement is expected to take place during Google's annual developer conference in San Francisco. The new platform will see Intel's Atom microprocessor and Google's Android operating system join to bring web services to Sony's televisions.

“The revolution we’re about to go through is the biggest single change in television since it went colour,” Paul Otellini, Intel chief executive, told analysts last week.

“If you had asked me a year ago, I would have said no way Intel and Google could make an impression,” said Kurt Scherf, principal analyst at research firm Parks Associates. “But Intel looks to have gained some traction and the operating system space is so wide open that it’s a case of why not Google at this point.”

“We’re seeing the beginning of explosive growth,” Eric Kim, head of Intel’s Digital Home group, told analysts. “Right now, we’re gearing up for a massive retail launch of [connected devices] this year.”

Google is expected to ask its Android developer community to begin creating applications for TVs this week.