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BlackBerry PlayBook gets demoed in portrait mode
It's brief and a bit blurry, but in the midst of a 14-minute demonstration of the BlackBerry PlayBook the folks from Lotusphere Podcasts scored something of a first: a demo of the tablet finally using portrait mode. Unfortunately, we don't get a look at much more than the home screen and the keyboard, and it appears that the functionality might not be perfected just yet -- the PlayBook used for the first ten minutes of the video was the usual horizontal-only deal, and the portrait-enabled model was quickly put back on the table after the brief demo. Hit up the source link below for the complete video, and look for the portrait mode to make an appearance around the 10:55 mark.
Samsung prepping portrait QWERTY Android phone for Sprint?
If you were to prepare a list of most under-served smartphone form factors, portrait QWERTY ranks high on the list; few manufacturers have dared to dabble in it so far, despite the fact that there would seem to be a treasure trove of potential users in the BlackBerry realm who live and die by the Bold / Curve layout. Motorola has given it the most high-publicity shot so far with entries like the Droid Pro, Charm, and Flipout, and it looks like Samsung might be prepping a head-on Droid Pro competitor for Sprint thanks to some shots that have emerged on PocketNow today. We have precisely zero details on the hardware specs, the possible launch time frame, or really anything else at this point, but we'll keep an eye out. [Thanks, Theodore L.]
Old EVE portraits to be backed up -- log in today for high-res captures
EVE Online's Incursion expansion's final phase is upon us, bringing with it the cataclysmic destruction of several hundred thousand disembodied heads. Those passport-photo-style mugshots next to characters' names on the forum and in-game chat channels will all be removed in tomorrow's patch. In their place, we'll create new photos using an advanced new full-body avatar generator. We've seen this new character generator in action, and it can produce some really impressive results that far outshine the old avatars we currently use. More importantly, the new avatars will be full-bodied characters for use with the upcoming Incarna expansion, rather than just small passport photos. Players have expressed concerns about losing those EVE character portraits they've have had since as far back as 2003. In response, CCP has announced that all of the current portraits used on the forum are being backed up to an alternative web-server which will be kept open to public access. However, these portraits are limited to a width and height of 256 pixels. If you'd like to capture your current character in full high-resolution glory, you'll need to log in tonight to capture it. In a new last-minute devblog, the hilariously-named CCP Purple Tentacle has just posted details of the portrait backup service and instructions on exactly how to capture your character in high definition. If you're caught away from your PC tonight and unable to capture your portrait, we'd like to help out. Please leave a comment with your character name and I'll be available for the next few hours to log in to capture the image for you. I'll then email the image to the email address you use on Massively. If you'd like it sent to a different email address, please include it in your comment or mail your request to brendan@massively.com and I'll send it to that address. When I'm no longer available to process requests, I will update this post. UPDATE: The deadline has now passed and old portraits an no longer be catured in high resolution. Lower resolution portraits of up to 256 width and height can be downloaded using CCP's portrait backup service, which is now live.
Visualized: here's looking at you, fanboy!
Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to mock the above self-portrait without resorting to obvious jokes about the iPhone needing a bumper, the iPad lacking a camera of its own, or prefixing insults with the letter i. Come on, it's Christmas, let's be a little more like San Diego and keep it classy. For his part, David Polette, the author of this piece, admits to no Photoshop trickery whatsoever, having relied simply on his camera, Apple gadgets, and no small amount of patience to line things up just right. Android users, care to play along as well? [Thanks, David] Update: Ask, and ye shall receive! Tipster Antonio did up his own version of this with a Galaxy Tab and a G2. Check it out below!
Motorola Spice is the Brazilian Android portrait slider of your mid-range dreams
Hey, remember that weirdo Motorola XT300 portrait slider we saw with hints of Droid branding back in August? It was just announced at CTIA (and released in Brazil) as the Spice. Apart from the form factor, it's basically a Flipout with a different hinge -- it's got Android 2.1 with Motoblur, a 528MHz processor, a 3.2-inch QVGA screen, Motorola's crazy "Backtrack" rear trackpad, and a 3.2 megapixel camera -- but it was apparently designed and built entirely in Brazil, so that's something. We're assuming AT&T passed on this one when it chose to release the Flipout, Flipside and Bravo instead, but damn -- can someone please take this form factor and put it together with a high-end Android spec sheet already? We have cash money.
Motorola and Verizon's crazy portrait Droid Pro unveiled (update: specs!)
Whoa -- we knew Motorola likes to get funky with the form factors, but the new Droid Pro on Verizon might be the strangest (and best) yet: it's a portrait device (the rumored Venus) with a BlackBerry-esque keyboard below the screen. It's not the Droid 2 World Edition we were expecting, but damn -- we're in love. We don't know much specs-wise apart from Android 2.2 with Blur and global roaming support in more than 220 countries, but we're digging for as much as we can, so stay tuned. Update: Motorola's Sanjay Jha just formally announced the Droid Pro on stage, following the typical sizzle reel of the company's business partners praising the company's business leanings. It's going to have a 5 megapixel auto-focus camera, 3.1-inch display, 1GHz processor -- and a dual-mode CDMA/GSM chip for worldwide roaming. It'll be available in the first week of November. Follow the break for the press release.
Sports Illustrated: Cost-cutting has hindered iPad app
If you're a regular reader of the Sports Illustrated (SI) publication for the iPad, you may have noticed something unusual / different in the latest issue. The SI iPad edition is now only viewable in landscape mode, no longer supporting portrait mode as it did in previous issues. If you hold your iPad in landscape mode and then turn it to portrait mode the message, "This page is intended to be viewed in landscape mode. (There's nothing wrong with your iPad -- just turn it horizontally.)" appears. Guest editor of the SI iPad edition, Josh Quittner (Time Magazine), comments on this change in his personal blog. Quittner says that he believes the optimal viewing experience for photo-driven magazines, like SI, is in landscape mode. He also adds that by not editing in two formats (landscape and portrait) some innovative new features have been introduced, like "Super Loooooong View" - bringing a "reveal" effect to photos "akin to centerfold, or poster view." Quittner points out that another advantage of a single format issue is its reduced size. Coming in about 30% smaller than previous issues, SI can be downloaded in under a minute. But Quittner points out that download time isn't the only consideration, here. With other magazine publications reaching and even exceeding 500 megabytes, Quittner asks, "Who wants to store media that big on a 16 gigabyte device?" Finally, Quittner does admit that economy comes into play, too. He says that by implementing the landscape-only format their work load is reduced by at least a third. "Why not add more designers?" Quittner responds, "Well, if we were able to build a real business, with subscriptions that offered our iPad versions to readers at a reasonable price, that would be a no brainer. But we can't yet, so the best approach for us is to experiment with the format, marshal our (human) resources and start building products on other platforms that will allow us to scale up as our business grows." You may remember this video from way back in December of 2009 demonstrating Time Inc.'s vision for a tablet-based version of SI - prior to the announcement of the iPad. Back then, Time Inc. would have users download the SI app from the iTunes Store, but pay Time Inc. directly for further issues. Naturally, Apple didn't like this. Currently, Apple doesn't allow publishers to offer subscription based content on the iTunes store. But if rumors of the iNewsstand are to be believed, it's going to be pretty interesting to see how all this pans out. [Hat tip to AppleInsider]
Motorola XT300 mini portrait slider leaks out in clearer photos
We've been wondering about this oddly intriguing mini Motorola portrait slider since we saw it back in July, and a new set of leaked photos today hasn't done anything to diminish our curiosity, since that keyboard looks pretty amazing. The reappearance of the red Droid eye seems to indicate this one's eventually destined for Verizon, but we'll see -- we're curious about the XT300 name being used in this photo set, which ties in with Moto's GSM naming scheme, and Verizon's reserved the Droid name for higher-end sets so far, while this thing looks like a mid-range Blur phone to us. Video after the break -- and more photos and vids at the source link. [Thanks, Thomas]
Sitting for a portrait with FaceTime on iPhone 4
So, you're tired of your Twitter avatar, the photo of your face that you took in Photo Booth. Maybe a nice portrait would be in order... David Lanham, who is probably best known for his work with Iconfactory (he designed Ollie, the Twitteriffic bluebird), is an accomplished artist whose body of work using electronic media and traditional art media is whimsical, thought-provoking, and beautiful. I've used one of his vector drawings (Game Hunter) as my desktop wallpaper on my iMac, and it never ceases to make me smile when I look at it. Lanham recently broke his foot, which forced him to hang around his house. A friend of his volunteered for a portrait, with the traditional "sitting" being done over a FaceTime call. He decided to make a few bucks while immobile, so he's been picking up FaceTime portrait work at $50 a pop. Once the portrait is complete, you can use it as your online avatar, and perhaps even order a giclée print for your study. According to a developer who is currently working with Lanham, the artist's inbox is now jam-packed with requests for these cool drawings, so don't expect him to respond immediately if you're in the market for a FaceTime portrait. Thanks to Jack (second from the right) for the tip!
Character Sketch: Call for submissions
In the midst of all this Real ID brouhaha, it's good to be reminded that we sometimes play the World of Warcraft to immerse ourselves in our other identities -- the characters we play. Some of us enter the world of Azeroth to have a grand adventure, leaving our probably awesome but otherwise non-magical real lives for a while to masquerade as dwarves or orcs ... as anything from plate-wearing champions of the Light to felfire-wielding sorcerers in brimstone-stained robes. World of Warcraft is still an MMORPG, after all, and at the heart of it the characters we play are reflections of ourselves, real names or otherwise. Here at WoW.com, we'd like to celebrate these characters -- your characters -- by taking them for a spin. We're looking for submissions of our readers' characters which we'll take and draw. Think of it as a reverse version of World of WarCrafts, where we'll draw your character and throw in a paragraph or two about them, Know Your Lore-style. We'll need your help, of course. We want you to tell us about your favorite character, whether it be your awesome end-game raiding night elf priest or your humble, low-level bank alt in a snazzy tuxedo set. It's up to you. We want you to let us know about your character by shooting us an email at zach@wow.com with your character's name and a few lines describing them. Obviously, we'll need to get them right, so you could either link us to your character's armory or just send us some screenshots we can use as reference. The more detailed your descriptions or pictures, the more justice we'll be able to give to your character, so make sure to give us everything we need. We'll even try our best to get little details in there somewhere, like your favorite non-combat pet if you want it hanging around. In the end, if we get it right, we'll have a WoW.com wallpaper featuring one of your characters every week. In a way, it's a shot at 15 Minutes of Fame without actually having to be anyone famous in real life or having done anything particularly stupendous. You just need to be you -- and your character needs to be, well, just about any character in the World of Warcraft. Over time, we hope to compile a fairly decent gallery of the heroes that you play. Maybe it'll even help our readers get to know each other somewhat. Without, you know, having to tell anyone your real name or anything.
Found footage: Creating photorealistic portraits with a finger and an iPad
Artists are taking to the iPad like ducks to water. The device seems to be a natural tool for many artists to use, and the public is now starting to see the fruits of the relationship in the form of some startling and beautiful digital art. Kyle Lambert is a perfect example of an artist who has quickly adapted to the iPad as an art creation tool. The Cheshire, England based portrait artist recently spent six hours painting an astoundingly good portrait of performer Beyonce using an iPad, his finger, and the Brushes iPad app (US$7.99). Lambert makes time-lapse movies of his creation process, and it's fascinating to see the details of Beyonce's face emerge from the digital canvas in the movie above. We'd also like to see what other professional artists are accomplishing with the iPad, so if you have a work that was created on the iPad or iPhone, let us know by clicking or tapping that Send a Tip link at the top of the page. Thanks to Paul Kent for the tip!
iPhone OS 4 beta 3 adds orientation lock, iPod controls to multitasking bar
9to5Mac reports that new features have been added to the iPhone's multitasking bar as of the release of iPhone OS 4 beta 3 earlier today. Swiping left from the multitasking bar now accesses a new set of controls. On the far left is an orientation lock, which disables the iPhone's auto-switching between portrait and landscape orientation. This achieves via software the same thing as the iPad's dedicated orientation lock hardware switch. It will make using the iPhone in a reclined position much easier; no longer will the iPhone switch between orientations seemingly at random as you're catching up on e-mails just after waking up. And there was much rejoicing. To the right of the orientation lock is a set of three controls for play/pause and track skipping in the iPod app, as well as a dedicated icon for the app itself. It seems likely this will replace the current "notification window" method for accessing iPod controls via a double-tap of the Home button. Cool bit of functionality coming soon in the iPhone OS 4.0 release. [Via MacRumors]
Dell Lightning: the ultimate Windows Phone 7 device leaks out
Hot damn, people. The mother of all Dell leaks just dropped into our laps, and the absolute highlight has to be the Lightning, a Windows Phone 7 portrait slider. That's right -- a portrait slider. The renders on these slides look slick as hell, but they're no match for the spec sheet, which looks even better: 1GHz QSD8250 Snapdragon processor, WVGA 4.1-inch OLED display, AT&T and T-Mobile 3G, five megapixel autofocus camera, 1GB of flash with 512MB RAM plus 8GB of storage on a MicroSD card (non-user-replaceable, we're assuming), GPS, accelerometer, compass, FM radio, and full Flash support including video playback. We'll see what happens with that -- the ship date is pegged at Q4, indicating this is a WP7 launch device, and Microsoft's told us Flash won't make it into the OS initially. Here's the real kicker, though -- other slides in the deck indicate this thing is getting an upgrade to LTE in Q4 of 2011. Are we stoked? Yes, you might say that. Check out all the slides in the gallery below, and check out the rest of this storm of leaks right here. %Gallery-91362%
Tricking your iPhone to play TV shows and movies in portrait view
By default, movies and TV shows in the iPod portion of the iPhone and iPod touch play in landscape view. The biggest change with respect to video orientation came about with iPhone OS 2.0, which provided the option for landscape-right viewing (that is, with the volume and silent/vibrate buttons facing up). While most videos could, and should, be viewed in landscape, there are times that call for a portrait perspective -- for example, when placing your iPhone into a dock, which is what I do when working out. Getting your iPhone to play a movie or TV show in portrait mode requires a simple change in the video's tag, from TV Show or Movie to Podcast. Simply right-click on the file and select "get info "(or you could use the Command-I shortcut). Then, in the "Media Kind" section within the "Options" tab of the video, select Podcast. Now, the videos will show up in both the Podcasts and Videos section of the iPod portion on your iPhone. Obviously, this isn't something you'd want to do with every movie or TV show in your library. So, to revert the file back to its old self, you'd want to follow the same process and change the video back to a TV show or movie.
Nokia N900 glitch leads to useful portrait mode, caught on video
File this under "it's not a bug, it's a feature" if true. According to Guyver at the maemo.org forums, some glitch in the OS caused his Nokia N900 to switch into portrait mode for everything, not just dialer and photo apps as previously allowed. We'd love to eliminate the need for two hands to run our favorite chunks of mobile software, but so far we haven't been able to recreate his trick. Try it at home if you'd like by tilting the device to launch the phone app, then sliding up the screen and closing the app. Perhaps the gang at Espoo can turn this into a legit update -- if they're awesome people, of course. Video after the break.
Samsung's SyncMaster 80 series LCD monitor stands above the rest
It's a simple idea, sure, and it's far from new, but putting an LCD on a telescoping mount offers incredible convenience. As such, this Samsung SyncMaster 80 series professional LCD monitor allows for a more natural secondary display perched directly above your open netbook or can be spun into a portrait orientation for those looking to go vertical. The 80's are available in either 20- (F2080) or 23-inch (F2380) configurations offering a 3000:1 contrast ratio, 178-degree viewing angle, narrow 15-mm bezel, and cover nearly 100% of the RGB color space. Priced in Korea at ₩378,000 (about $287) and ₩457,000 (about $347) when released later this month. See the Sammy pulled into a frontside vert after the break.
Video: Self-Portrait Machine binds your hands then bends your will
Drawing faces is hard; and as children suckled at the teat of MTV we posses neither the patience nor the discipline required to learn the skill. So imagine our surprise to discover the Self-Portrait Machine, a device that snaps your photo and then forces you to draw your own face by dragging your bound hands around until the portrait is complete. Jen Hui Liao's project is the result of an observation that "our personal identities are represented by the products of the man-machine relationship." So it's like art and the intersection of philosophy... only it's not -- it's just a robot too lazy to make the portrait itself. See the video after the break.
HTC Cedar portrait-style WinMo smartphone for CDMA hits FCC
Look out, Palm -- you've got what's apt to be a formidable opponent creeping right up on your next big thing. A frustratingly vague FCC filing has just appeared, which details (if you can even call it that) an elusive new HTC CEDA200 smartphone that's apparently portrait-styled, Windows Mobile-powered and ready to rock on a (gasp!) CDMA network. The filing clearly asks the dear ole FCC to hold photos until July 30th, which lines right up with that Q2 launch date we've heard about for a so-called HTC Cedar (or Willow). Obviously, it's too early to tell just yet if this is that very phone, but either way, you can count on something good from HTC crossing the CDMA airwaves in the not-too-terribly-distant future.
Vanguard announces contest for 2nd anniversary
It's been two years since the world of Telon was released and travelers filled its many paths and dungeons. To celebrate that launch, the Vanguard team has launched their "It Takes Two" contest.Vanguard: Saga of Heroes players are being asked to develop their own original portrait of two Vanguard players or NPCs in a heroic setting in Telon. Aspiring arists may use real life photography, in-game screenshots, modified screenshots, and original artistry in order to produce their creations.The first place winner of the contest will receive a portrait named after their submitted artwork in Vanguard, a unique in-game title, and a 90 day game card for SOE games.The full details of the contest are on the Vanguard Players website, so journey on over and check out what you can win![Via MMORPG.com]
Salvador DaBot: robot portraitist extraordinaire
Leaps and bounds have been made with Sylvain Calinon's robotic portrait artist since we first caught a glimpse of this amazing AI being -- and no, we're not just referring to the stylish beret and mustache. Now dubbed "Salvador DaBot", the portraitist has developed far more advanced conversation skills, along with a voice that sounds a lot less like Steven Hawking. We kinda miss that feather pen he was sporting before, but his movement's a lot more natural now and his new marker seems to have helped his drawing style -- similar to old-school comic art. See this awesome little guy in action after the break.[Via Sylvain Calinon]
