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Star Trek's iconic computer voice may live on in your phone
Whenever we talk about natural language voice assistants, we invariably draw parallels to the computer on Star Trek. Soon, those comparisons may be a bit more direct: Roddenberry Entertainment has revealed that it has a phonetic library for Majel Barrett-Roddenberry, the voice behind the Enterprise's computer. "We're working to get her voice for things such as Siri," The company said in a recent Tweet. "Maybe [the] voice of the computer on [Star Trek Discovery]"
New DisplayPort standard leverages USB Type-C's blazing speed
DisplayPort standards are one of those things most of us don't think about a whole lot, but are pretty important in terms of how our monitors connect to computers. The Video Electronics Standards Association (VESA) has published the latest version of the transfer protocol, about two years after the last. Whereas version 1.3 focused pretty heavily on 4K in 2014, 1.4 is more about providing lossless compression and further leveraging relatively new connection methods like USB Type-C.
DJ Sound Control computer mod redefines luggable
Few would look at Lenovo's decidedly ordinary A700 all-in-one desktop and think: DJ rig, but then you wouldn't be PC modder Chris Blarsky (of the Hulk PC mod fame). After four months of work, he's managed to transform the 23-inch system into the so-called DJ Sound Control rig you see above, which comes complete with sliding drawer to accommodate a keyboard or other DJ gear in case the slew of built-in options aren't enough for you, not to mention a separate I/O box that also doubles as a power supply (also of the luggable variety). Hit the source link below for a closer look, although you might want to grab a cup of coffee while the this particular experiment in Flash excess loads.
Sony's ultra-durable DSC-TX5 hands-on: ice, ice, baby
Now here's how to show off a durable camera. While a number of companies we've seen at PMA had non-interactive displays to exemplify just how waterproof their shooters were, Sony went one step further and put a pair of its DSC-TX5 in a block of ice. Yes, we could pick this one up and play with it -- as well as another pair that were submerged in water of milder temperatures -- and from our time with the camera, there was no fogginess and the shots were very clear for its class -- no replacement for a DSLR, but it's certainly easier to fit in our pocket while falling down the ski slopes (and capturing our failures in 720p, should we choose to publish the embarrassment). Also spotted? The DSC-H55, but with the HX5V just around the corner and sporting a similar form factor plus GPS and TransferJet, we're having a hard time getting too excited about that one. %Gallery-86160% %Gallery-86163%
Sony's CyberShot DSC-HX1 camera gets official, coming March for $500
Sony has finally shown its cards for PMA this year, and that Ten of Clubs up its sleeve looks to be the CyberShot DSC-HX1 we heard about last week. According to the presser, it's the company's first digital camera with sweep panorama technology for up to 224-degree horizontal and 154-degree vertical panorama shots with the push of a button. It's also sporting a 20x optical zoom, 1/2.4-inch Exmor CMOS sensor for 10 frames per second at 9.1 megapixel resolution, a Sony G lens and 1080p HD movie recording. Look for it this March for around five Benjamins.
Minox nurtures the spy in all of us, dry martini not included
Minox, we knew you wouldn't let us down. We've seen a few bland cameras released by you over the years, but it warms our hearts to see you haven't forgotten why we love you. This latest line of miniature cameras comes in three flavors: yuck, meh, and totally badass. The DC 1033 looks like every other camera known to man, with the slight improvement of being a mere 94 x 55 x 24mm with 10-megapixels of firepower. The DCC Leica M3 Gold Edition is nothing more than a rerelease of the silvery edition - tiny, cute, but no match for the classic 30s style DSC (Digital Spy Camera) -- 86 x 29 x 20mm, 5-megapixels -- to be showcased next week at Photokina in Germany. [Via Studio Lighting]Read - Minox DCC Leica M3 Gold EditionRead - Minox License to shoot
Sony's Cyber-shot DSC-T2 reviewed
CNET has a review of Sony's new Cyber-shot DSC-T2 up, and the verdict seems to be "well above average," with a 7.4 score. The case is bit on the podgy side, although if you don't mind that it's well designed otherwise with a hefty lens protector taking up the front and a large 2.7-inch touchscreen taking up the back. That touchscreen has problems, with the review pointing to responsiveness issues. The 4GB internal storage is also nice, but the ridiculous proprietary cable means if you lose the one in the box during your vacay, you're screwed. Image quality and performance is nothing to go crazy over, and you'll probably be happy with it if you've used an equivalently priced digicam recently. Overall, the flaws in the integrated storage and the touchscreen mean this is a bit of a letdown. Go for the T200 instead.
Sony Cybershot DSC-H2 reviewed
That 6 megapixel DSC-H2 announced last month just pulled a righteous first-look review over at HardwareZone. The H2, remember, is Sony's prosumer followup to the DSC-H1. If you liked the H1, then the H2 is sure to please with its higher megapixel count and better low-light imaging capabilities due to a high ISO 1000 sensor sensitivity and "Clear RAW" noise reduction technology. And Sony fanatics will be stoked to hear that Sony opted for a Carl Zeiss lens with that same 12x optical zoom boasted by the H1's in-house Sony lens. Throw in Sony's "Super SteadyShot" optical image stabilization and HardwareZone sez the DSC-H2 is "highly recommended" for travelers who prefer image quality and functionality over portability. And with macro shot focusing at 1-cm, the H2 makes a "fine camera that is ideal for most occasions." Look for these to drop any day now for about $400 beans.[Thanks, Rubylized]
