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Fujifilm turned its flagship camera into an infrared forensics tool
Fujifilm has unveiled a special infrared version of the 100-megapixel, medium-format GFX100 designed for “forensic, scientific and cultural preservation applications,” the company announced.
Explore Mars with a 1.8-billion-pixel panorama from the Curiosity rover
NASA's Curiosity rover has sent the highest-resolution panorama of Mars ever taken back to Earth. Now, you can explore the Martian surface by zooming in on the giant 2GB image or cruising around in a 360-degree video that NASA shared on YouTube.
New telescope will be a high-resolution window to the universe
That 3D rendering up there is a new telescope from the National Science Foundation that promises to solve the mysteries of the universe -- or at least take some truly big pictures. Fitted with a 3,200 megapixel camera, the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope will be the largest digital camera in the world. Once operational, it will scan the entire night sky a few times a week for ten years and is expected to provide scientists unprecedented access to previously inscrutable parts of the cosmos. The camera will literally shed light on dark energy that is believed to accelerate the expansion of the universe, but has long evaded definitive probes. Apart from capturing images of exploding supernovae at an unfathomable distance, it can detect and track asteroids in our planet's vicinity.
Sony's expensive new Walkman takes aim at audiophiles
Sony already has a high-resolution player in its Walkman line but, not wanting to sit out the growing audiophile craze, the company revealed another model here at CES: the Walkman ZX2. Inside the player's aluminum alloy frame, there's an S-Master HX digital amp to keep things sounding clear, and DSEE HX tech that upscales those regular ol' tunes (like those being streamed) for better sound quality. In terms of playback, the ZX2 handles media up to 192kHz/24-bit and MP3, WMA, AAC, FLAC, AIFF, WAV and ALAC including DSD files. There's 128GB of internal memory that's sure to fill up, but a microSD slot provides extra space. It'll connect to WiFi for streaming and downloads, and the battery is said to last 60 hours on a charge.
Samsung smuggles new Series 9 prototype into IFA: 2,560 x 1,440 on a matte display (hands-on)
Well, this snuck up on us. Close to the end of the first official open-floor day at IFA, Samsung managed to eke out yet another product we want to get our hands on, soonish. This 13-inch Series 9 WQHD Ultrabook beams Windows 8 on 2,560 x 1,440 display (oh yes), making a visible leap beyond the existing Series 9 13-incher, which sticks to a more typical 1,600 x 900. Better still, the surface of the screen has a gentle matte finish. The engineering sample arrived in the Samsung spokesperson's hands just seven days ago. The resolution matches ASUS' high-grade gamer monitor in pixels, if falling ever so slightly short of the Retina Display on Apple's newest MacBook model. There was no news on what the manufacturer will call the new display tech, further specifications, or even whether this was just a proof of concept -- the device was chilling in the corner of the electronics giant's innovation gallery. Hopefully, Samsung won't hold out on those details for much longer. Take a look for yourself in our hands-on video after the break.%Gallery-164050% Joseph Volpe contributed to this report.
'Stained glass' nanotechnology capable of printing up to 100,000 dpi
Researchers in Singapore have managed to create high-resolution color images several times sharper than typical methods using a metal-laced nanometer framework. While normal inkjet and laser jet printers can reel out up to 10,000 dots per inch, this nanotech-based technique has a theoretical limit of around 100,000 dpi. The technique is closer to lithography than typical modern printing, and could pave the way for future high-resolution reflective color displays and high-density optical storage. Scientists crafted precisely patterned metal nano structures, and designed the surface to specifically reflect the intended color. According to project leader, Dr Joel Yang, "The team built a database of color that corresponded to a specific nanostructure pattern, size and spacing," with an ultra-thin metal film spread across the image activating these "encoded" colors. Looks like yet another reason to upgrade our dull fleshy retinas.
Samsung Retina-like 11.8-inch tablet in the works according to court docs
If you've been following the Apple vs. Samsung case even casually, you're probably aware that today marked the start of the patent trial in the US District Court for the Northern District of California, with Judge Lucy Koh presiding. And while the proceedings themselves won't necessarily justify an Olympics-level play-by-play, several interesting bits are sure to come to light. Today's nugget relates to Samsung's tablet roadmap, revealing that a Retina-like tablet may be in the works. The P10, as it's been labeled internally, packs a 2,560 x 1,600-pixel, 11.8-inch display, along with WiFi and LTE connectivity. Details are thin beyond that, and it's still possible that Samsung may not have a high-res tablet for us this year -- though with the company's mysterious New York City event coming up in two weeks, followed by IFA later in the month, there are plenty of opportunities in August alone for such an official reveal. Philip Palermo contributed to this report.
BlueStacks brings Android apps to OS X, wolves planning a rest with some lambs
BlueStacks is releasing the first public alpha of its Android App Player capable of running on OS X. The virtualization company's software is powered by its Layercake technology and includes a bundle of apps from its various partners. CEO Rosen Sharma hopes the move will encourage developers to build "retina-friendly" apps for Google's mobile OS that can then be sold to those on the other side of the technology divide. There's a sign-up sheet for developers itchy to get their hands on the goods on the company's website, but don't expect a response right away -- there's still a few more days of Google I/O to go first.
Google shows off high-res Chrome browser for Retina MacBooks, hitting Canary channel first
As we noted in our review, the downside of the super high DPI displays Apple is shipping in its latest MacBook Pro is that non-retina display friendly apps don't look so good, but Google's already working on changing that for its Chrome browser. In a blog post the team showed off the image above with a comparison on what the high res edition will look like compared to its current counterpart based on "early results." Users on the bleeding-edge Canary channel should see the upgrades first, with more rolling out over the next few weeks and eventually reaching wider audiences as they go along. Of course, if you couldn't wait to pre-order the absolute latest Mac hardware after it hit the stage at WWDC (and aren't diving headlong into the refreshed world of Safari), we're figuring jumping on a somewhat untested version of this popular browser is hardly out of the question.
Apple announces first Retina display in a MacBook, 220ppi with 2880 x 1800 resolution
Apple just announced its next-generation MacBook Pro, and it comes equipped with a gorgeous 220 pixel-per-inch 2880 x 1800 display. That's quite a bit shy of the 326 ppi LCD on the iPhone 4S and the 264 ppi density of the new iPad's display, but it's still a massive improvement over the 1680 x 1050 pixels found on Apple's previous-generation clamshell. The new Retina is, as Apple marketing head Phil Shiller not-so-modestly pointed out during this morning's WWDC keynote, the "world's highest-resolution notebook display." It's also soon to be the highest-res LCD in any household, offering three million more pixels than your 1080p HDTV. It's a bit hard to determine just how impressive this next-gen tech is from where we're seated at the keynote, but we'll be back with more impressions just as soon as the presentation wraps. Or, if you have $2,199 to spare for a 2.3GHz model with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage, you can pick up your very own today. For more coverage of WWDC 2012, please visit our event hub.%Gallery-157896%
NHK and JVC develop 120fps Super Hi-Vision projector
If your cine-cave is already decked out with the Super Hi-Vision display, the Super Hi-Vision camera, and the Super Hi-Vision-supping antenna, we guess you just need the 120fps Super Hi-Vision projector to complete the set? Guess what? Working with JVC, NHK has developed just that. It might not be much to look at, but that hunk of tech up there comes with the extra frame rate that also makes it play fast nice with the sensor technology NHK was kind enough to develop first. The projector will be giving its first public demos on May 24th , and we hope that 7680 x 4320 resolution will make all those hi-res skate-slams come out a charm.
High-res Mountain Lion art could point to Retina Macs in 2012
Apple developers test-driving the latest Mountain Lion (10.8) release may have noticed some higher-res graphics erroneously popping up in "unexpected places," such as the double-size phone icon that appears alongside an audio chat invitation in Messages. One such dev reported his findings to Ars Technica, as you can see evidenced in the graphic above. This mild slip-up could imply that Apple plans to release Macs with high-density displays later this year, or, at the very least, that Mountain Lion will be Retina-ready. High-res support dates back to OS X Lion, which is reportedly equipped to play nice with HiDPI displays, should they eventually become available. Compatible icons are but a second piece of the puzzle, which could be completed to the tune of deliciously dense 2880 x 1800 (or higher) resolution 15-inch LCDs. Wouldn't you love to see that.
ASUS MWC teaser video 'Twice the Detail' hints at higher-res tablet display
What's not to love about a short video insinuating something marvelous may be coming soon -- especially if it means a hi-res screen on a tablet, à la that purported Retina Display we saw a few days back. We have to give ASUS credit for this one, as it's teasing us with a clip titled "Twice the Detail, Twice the Fun." The vid's lead actors are a plethora of colorful marbles and a beige box that's very reminiscent of the form factor we're used to seeing on slates. And, let's not forget to mention the quick cameo by the famed Google search bar, a weather widget and a few other walk-in icons like YouTube's own. Could it be a case of the "Mo Pixels, Mo Problems Detail?" It may be a teaser for that Transformer Prime TF700T we saw carrying a 1920 x 1200 LCD at CES, but then again, it might not. Either way, we'll find out for sure when we arrive in Barcelona for MWC. In the meantime, take a virtual jump past the break to check out the full 17-second clip.
Apple's Messages beta includes high-resolution artwork
The new Messages beta gives us a peek at one iOS-like feature that'll land in OS X Mountain Lion when it arrives later this year. It also hints that Apple may be planning to refresh its Mac line with high-resolution, retina-like displays. MacRumors dug through the Messages app resources and discovered that some graphics within the app are available in both regular and double resolutions. These images are found in multi-part TIFF files and the double resolution files have a "@2x" designator in their name. MacRumors uses this as evidence that Apple is "already building in support for Retina displays on the Mac." This isn't the first time we've heard about a retina-like Mac display. The first mention of such a monitor came from Digitimes, which misses on its rumors more than it hits. We also had a rumor last week from AppleInsider that suggests Apple may overhaul its MacBook lineup. Though AppleInsider didn't specifically mention screen hardware, you have to admit that a high-resolution display would make for an excellent update. I'm not saying Apple will definitely bump up the specs on its Mac displays, but the evidence is beginning to point in that direction.
The thrilling difference the high-res texture pack makes in Skyrim
Wondering what kind of difference Skyrim's high-res texture pack makes to the game's already gorgeous PC graphics? The folks at HardOCP are all over that.
Intel: Ivy Bridge GPU to support 4K resolutions
Color us unsurprised that Ivy Bridge is destined to be faster and smaller than its predecessor, but unbeknownst to us is an interesting tidbit concerning the upcoming architecture's GPU. The revamp will support resolutions in excess of 4K (topping out at a maximum of 4,096 x 4,096) -- a sizable jump from the WQXGA (2,560 x 1,600) limitation of its Sandy Bridge's forebearer -- opening the door to all sorts of resolution independent goodness. Guess that means you won't need a discrete GPU in the future to power that bodacious (but pricey) pro-level display. Have a peek in the links below if you're hungry for more.
Astronomers snap black hole murder in graphic detail (video)
We tend to imagine a black hole sucking everything around it straight into oblivion. The truth, however, is even more gruesome. Astronomers have just captured an ultra hi-res image of our neighbouring galaxy, Centaurus A, and it helps to reveal what actually happens. Matter is yanked helplessly towards a black hole at the galaxy's core, but it refuses to die quietly. For some unknown reason, it erupts as it falls, spewing out vast plumes of particles -- like blood from celestial murder. These death throes emit radio waves, allowing us to witness them using radio telescopes even though we are 12 million light-years away. If only we were closer; if only we could intervene. Alas, all we can do is watch the video after the break and hit the source links for a fuller explanation -- though, admittedly, none of those sound like awful options.
Chicago's Adler Planetarium to start projecting 8K by 8K images from this July, put cinema screens to shame
Okay, so it's not quite 8K video, we're not there yet, but the Adler Planetarium and its brand new Grainger Sky Theater are about to show us what 64 megapixel images look like on a big screen. Described as the "largest single seamless digital image in the world," the picture inside the planetarium will come from 20 projectors hooked up to 45 computers processing data, and should provide the most lucid and captivating view unto our universe that one can get without actually exiting the Earth's atmosphere. The new show kicks off on July 8th, having been put together with aid from NASA and IBM among others. Jump past the break for the full press release.
SA Photonics high-res digital night vision system makes you look like Hello Kitty's cyborg cousin
Given, it might make you look like the love child of Robocop and a cartoon kitten, but SA Photonics' High Resolution Night Vision System (HRNVS) could mean smoother night flights for the US military. The light weight head mounted display couples high resolution imagery and an impressive 82.5 degree field of vision -- previous devices offered a range of only 40 degrees. What's more, it provides clearer peripheral vision, virtually non-existent halo effects, digital image enhancement, and night vision recording. The headset was designed in collaboration with the US Army and the Air Force Research Laboratory, which means these robo Sanrio helmets might actually get some play. Full PR after the break.
Visualized: the National Ignition Facility in a pannable, spherical panorama
Hopefully your brain has recouped from the explosion it endured when you first laid eyes on some glorious shots of the NIF out in Nor-Cal. Now, xRez Studio's imaging gurus have provided the common folk the ability to virtually stand in front of a 500-trillion watt laser experiment at ultra high resolution. Better yet, the interactive, detailed look at an attempt at nuclear fusion allows for zooming and a full, 360-degree pan-around experience. Since this might be closest in proximity you'll get to the NIF, hit the source link to truly get a feel for what we're yapping about, and -- if you're feeling audacious -- be sure to check out the BBC video tour after the break.
