geotagging
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Garmin's connected nuvi 1690 and browser / camera-equipped nuvi 1860 leak out
Garmin already had a little fun at CeBIT this year, but it looks as if the PND maker is gearing up for quite a thrilling IFA, too. For starters, we've confirmed that the nüvi 1690 you've seen floating about is legitimate, and if Garmin prices those connected services right (read: gives them away), it stands a chance of being a real winner. Slated to launch on September 3rd just as IFA kicks off, the 1690 will pack a 4.3-inch WVGA display, North American maps, text-to-speech, Bluetooth handsfree support and EDGE data for pulling down weather, flight statuses, fuel prices, movie times, traffic and Google-powered local search results. It should be available at the tail end of Q3 for $499.99, though there's no word on how pricey the connected services will be. If you're looking for even bigger and better things, there's the nüvi 1800 family. The nüvi 1820 checks in with a 4.8-inch WVGA panel, a Linux-based OS, Bluetooth handsfree support, WiFi, lane assist, a traffic receiver, text-to-speech and a few features not found on your common PND. We're talking about a full-fledged web browser (with YouTube support), multimedia player, access to email, internet radio streaming and even video streaming. Of course, you'll have to provide the web access, but if you've got a MiFi or the like riding shotgun in your ride, you can keep this bad boy connected throughout the trip. Also of note, the nüvi 1860 packs all of the aforementioned goodies but throws in a 3 megapixel camera with geotagging for good measure. Garmin doesn't bother to mention pricing details on either of the 18xx units, but we get the impression that both will sticker for well over the $500 mark.Update: That $500 sticker on the 1690 will include two years of connected services -- not perfect, but a solid gesture nonetheless.[Thanks, Anonymous]
Samsung crams WiFi, GPS and Bluetooth 2.0 into well-specced CL65 point-and-shoot
If you're anything like us (and let's face it, you're exactly like us), you've been counting down the nanoseconds until Samsung finally revealed what its 'Tap and Take' campaign was all about. This, folks, is it. As many of you sharp folks surmised, Samsung is delving deep into the intelligent camera arena, equipping its luscious CL65 (no, not that CL65) with a 12.2 megapixel sensor, 5x optical zoom, 720p (30fps) movie mode, an HDMI output, and a 3.5-inch touchscreen that utilizes a Smart Gesture user interface. Furthermore, the camera can access certain features when simply tilted, and the built-in Bluetooth 2.0 module enables users to easily share images with other BT-equipped devices. Considering that you're probably still not impressed, how's about a little more on the cutting-edge front? The point-and-shoot also includes WiFi (much like Sony's disappointing DSC-G3 and Panny's Lumix DMC-TZ50), giving users the ability to upload directly to Facebook, Picasa and YouTube. Unfortunately, all photos uploaded via WiFi will be reduced to a resolution of two megapixels, and while we understand the reasoning, we figure an option for full / reduced res would've been a much better compromise. At any rate, the device also includes DLNA support for streaming to HDTVs and the like, while the integrated GPS chip handles the geotagging. The cam, which is admittedly bursting at the seams with features, will land next month in the US for $399.99. Full release is after the break.
Samsung ST1000 GPS-enabled camera appears in blurrycam shot
We've been waiting for some more compact cameras with integrated GPS features to hit the market, and this blurry shot of an upcoming Samsung ST1000 gives us a little hope. It's actually looking like a pretty hot piece of kit in addition to the geotagging features, with a 12 megapixel sensor with ISO 4800 sensitivity behind a stabilized 5x zoom lens, 3.5-inch touchscreen with gesture support, face detection that prioritizes the most-common faces, and WiFi support all cooked in. The rumor says we're looking at an August 13 launch, so we should know more soon -- hopefully the £349 ($580) price tag is a bit more reasonable when it officially comes Stateside. Hit the read link for some more shots.[Thanks, Chris]
Square iPhone Payment System turns your phone into credit card reader
Everyone and their uncle Steve uses WinCE terminals to execute cashless transactions these days, and while you'd expect Apple to remedy that right quick, the Square credit card reader has beaten it to the punch. Plugging into the headphone jack of either an iPhone or iPod Touch, the dongle takes a swipe of your card, the seller enters the purchase data and you do your best penless John Hancock on the touchscreen. After that, a receipt is delivered by email and the app retains geotagging data for each transaction. Spiffy, right? Well, there is a surcharge to pay, and it's still in early alpha testing in New York, but should it prove popular, there's no reason not to see this appendage make an appearance on Android or WinMo phones as well. Rest easy, Gotham, we're sure nothing could possibly go wrong.[Thanks, Derek]
2GB Eye-Fi Geo exclusive to Apple retail
The Eye-Fi Memory Card sends photos wirelessly from your camera to the destination of your choice, like a computer or the web. Back in January of '08, the product gained Mac and iPhoto support, and support for MobileMe was added in September '08. This week, Eye-Fi announced the Eye-Fi 2GB Geo, which is currently exclusive to Apple retail, both online and brick-and-mortar stores. As you've probably guessed, the Geo adds geotagging to the mix. Once snapped and tagged, photos will be sent to a folder on your Mac or directly to iPhoto, all tagged and ready to go. This makes great use of iPhoto '09's Places feature.It's $60 for a 2GB card, which is cheaper that most of the geotagging add-on hardware we listed a couple months back. If you pick one of these up, let us know how it goes.Additionally, there's a Eye-Fi app for the iPhone [App Store link] that lets you send photos to your Mac or certain online services direct from your phone.[via MacDailyNews]
2GB Eye-Fi Geo automatically geotags wirelessly uploaded photos, makes your day
Check it, wireless uploaders -- Eye-Fi has just outed its latest WiFi-enabled Secure Digital card, and this one promises to disclose your every move to anyone who'll bother to follow your image feed. Announced today, the Eye-Fi Geo is a 2GB card that will enable users to automatically upload photos from a digital camera while geotagging them as they hit the 'net. The geotagging service is included for life, and for whatever reason, this one's being made exclusively available through Apple stores and online. Of course, it could have something to do with that "seamless integration" with iPhoto and MobileMe, but we're guessing it ought to play nice with other applications and image portals as well. If you're suddenly unable to move on with your life until you've got one of these in your hands, you can snag one today for $59.99. Full release is after the break.
ATP PhotoFinder Pro loses the base station, takes us to geotagging nirvana
Despite new cameras being riddled with borderline useless features and modes, useful functionality like automatic geotagging is getting little love from the big players. All the more reason for third parties to sneak in and make a few bucks, and ATP certainly seems to be on top of it. We liked the idea of the company's PhotoFinder, but that base station looked like needless desk clutter. The new PhotoFinder Pro does away with it, featuring an integrated SD, Memory Stick, and MMC card reader. Just sync up the clock in the unit with that of your shooter, clip it onto your camera bag for a day of scenic photography, and then pop your card in before downloading the pics that night. It'll automatically add coordinates to each photo's EXIF information, drastically reducing the likelihood of future spousal arguments about the whereabouts of certain Kodak moments. That sounds like a beautiful thing, and at $119 a good deal, too. Update: Dan commented to point out that, with the help of an external USB card reader, the PhotoFinder Pro can also tag pics on CF, xD, or any other FAT/FAT32 formatted cards you might have sliding around in the bottom of your junk drawer. [Via Photography Blog]
PlaceTagger answers the 'where was this picture taken?' question
I have a Canon 5D DSLR. It's a great camera, but one of the things I wished it had was an on-board GPS receiver to keep track of where my photos were taken. That would be especially nice since iPhoto and some other apps support reading location metadata embedded in the image.I've looked at some of the outboard units, like the Amod GPS Logger, but didn't really want to shell out the cash or carry an extra device. Of course, you can take geotagged photos with the built in camera on the iPhone, but they aren't going to match a dedicated high quality DSLR.Now there is a nice, fairly low cost solution that uses the iPhone you are probably already carrying. PlaceTagger [App Store link] keeps track of where you are from minute to minute, recording your latitude, longitude and altitude. When you unload your camera, an app running on your Mac finds your iPhone using Wi-Fi, and matches the time on the logger software to the time your images were taken. It then embeds the info into the image metadata. It may sound confusing, but it is pretty simple. When the Mac app launches, it asks you to locate your images, and make sure your iPhone has been found. Your images show up as thumbnails, and when you are ready the software associates the GPS location to each file. The files then display a map of where the image was taken, as well as the specific numerical lat, long and altitude info. When I looked at the information in iPhoto, I saw the above data as well as the city, county, state and country I was in. Cool. The app is on sale at an introductory price of $7.99US and that is a bargain compared to the outboard electronics packages you could buy. The developer is also doing a Windows version of the app for those that don't have a Mac. The Mac version requires Leopard, and of course an iPhone with GPS capability. Older iPhones will work, but the location won't be as accurate. The software also includes an Aperture plug-in, and can export the data as XML via email. Of course, this app won't work in the background in the current iPhone software, so if you get a call or have to do something else you'll have to restart the software and get a fresh GPS fix.All in all, these are a pair of clever applications. They worked as expected, and I liked the ability to see the photos I took with a displayed map and numerical location information all on my Mac.
Eye-Fi's 4GB WiFi Video cards now with more options for Internet regret
You know that video mode you haven't used since first bought your compact point and shoot? Right, the one that does 720p HD video if you've purchased a camera within the last 6 months? Well, Eye-Fi's back to remind you that it's now selling its $99 Eye-Fi Explore Video (with geotagging) and $79 Eye-Fi Share Video SDHC cards nationwide. They've also enabled video sharing with Picasa, Photobucket, and SmugMug in addition to Flickr and YouTube. The result is dead-simple, un-edited direct-to-internet video sharing without the need for a tethered computer. Of course, these cards work equally well for dumping your films and photos over WiFi to your Mac or PC at home -- but why live your life in a bubble?
Camera-packin' Garmin Oregon 500 navigator on sale in UK
Wouldn't you know it? That leaked Garmin Oregon 500 is indeed a real, bona fide product, and it's on sale now for argonauts over in the UK. The outdoorsy navigator officially boasts a rugged 3-inch sunlight-readable touch panel (400 x 240 resolution), a tough, waterproof casing, a built-in electronic compass, barometric altimeter (seriously!), AA battery support, USB connectivity, a microSD card slot and a bundled carabiner clip to really set it apart. Oh, and there's also an integrated camera for automatic picture geotagging, which seems to be a pretty rare commodity in GPS units these days. We're not quite sure it's rare enough to justify the lofty £353.97 ($519) price tag, but thankfully that's not our call to make.[Thanks, Jordan]
Sony HDR-TG5 makes world's smallest Full HD camcorder smaller, adds GPS
The problem with Sony's previous world's smallest pistol-grip Full HD camcorder -- the HDR-TG1 aka, the TG3E -- wasn't size, it was usability. So we're happy to hear that Sony's TG5 counts a tweaked UI among its updates. And although Sony doesn't say in the press release, the TG5's touch-panel looks far more sensitive (capacitive maybe?) than that of the previous generation's finger bender. The other improvements are GPS to geotag your media (assuming your software supports it), Navteq maps, improved image processing, smile shutter technology, and 16GB of built-in storage (up from 8GB) all riding inside a slightly smaller and lighter chassis. Other specs remain unchanged: 1920 x 1080 AVCHD video, 2.7-inch touchscreen display, and a 10x optically stabilized zoom exposing a 2.4 megapixel CMOS sensor. Expensive? Oh most definitely: $1,000 starting in May. Check the video after the break.[Via CNET]
Sony's GPS-CS3KA GPS image tracker coming in March
Sony last upgraded its CS1 GPS image tracker around this time last year, and as PMA 2009 draws ever closer, we're seeing the outfit quietly introduce that unit's proper successor. The GPS-CS3KA takes on a slightly more modern design and promises compatibility with nearly every Cyber-shot digital still camera and Handycam camcorder out there. Essentially, the utility here is the same as before -- keep it on your person while shooting, then let the Picture Motion Browser software sync up data with the time stamps on your photos. Once done, you'll get a nifty Google Map showing where you photographed each image. This unit also sports dual MS / SD card slots and can run for almost 15 hours on a single AA cell. We're almost guaranteed a look at this early next month in Vegas, but the general public will have to wait until it ships in late March for $149.99.[Via NaviGadget]%Gallery-44280%
Nokia's 5800 XpressMusic gets its first firmware update: aww!
It's always a momentous occasion when a hot-as-white-fire handset sees its first firmware update, but the latest package -- designed to get your 5800 XpressMusic up to v20.0.0.12 -- is way more than just cute. Available now for downloading, the update adds in camera photo geotagging, full device search and marginally faster operation overall. Users can opt for an OTA update or the traditional PC Suite approach, and if you're somewhat terrified about engaging in either, just take a deep breath, hit the read link, and follow the instructions. We swear it'll be alright.
Samsung to release 12 megapixels of cameraphone foolishness this month?
It's been a few years since Samsung unleashed its 10 megapixel cameraphone onto the world. Now we're hearing that Samsung will push the limits of absurdity to a full 12 megapixels "this month," likely at Mobile World Congress. The phone is expected to hit the production lines in February with a European debut shortly thereafter. No details are provided other than the picture above used (but not attributed) by Unwired View. If this is the unannounced phone then we can obviously expect GPS geotagging, DivX video capture, and WiFi with DLNA support. One thing is clear: Samsung thinks that Europeans are pixel braggarts with little concern for image quality.Update: Nope, that image is just a Photoshop of an 8 megapixel Innov8 -- still, we wouldn't be surprised to see the same feature set and industrial design in a 12 megapixel handset.
Nikon's geotagging GP-1 dongle now available
When we asked how you'd change Nikon's 720p-recording D90 DSLR, many of you globe-trotting photogs let out wistful sighs, gazed at the brightest star, and wished with all your might for automatic geotagging of photos. Like some trickster genie, Nikon is granting your wishes, but we're not sure the GP-1 GPS add-on is exactly what you had in mind. It slots into the hot-shoe on most cameras (clipping onto the strap for a few) and uses an unwieldy looking cable to connect to the body of your D200, D3, D700, D90, D300, or D3X. We can't say that we're particularly fond of the device's means of indicating status, either: red blinky light = no satellites; green blinky = three satellites; green solid = four satellites or more. C'mon Nikon, for $240 you couldn't integrate that cable into a hand strap and put more than two LEDs up in there? [Via Gadget Lab]
Nokia viNe goes live: share your mobile adventures online
Not that anyone really needs to see what photos you take, where you take them and what videos are captured during your daily walk through the game of life, but if you feel inclined to share, Nokia's making it exceptionally easy. The viNe service, which is compatible with a slew of E and N Series handsets, taps into your built-in GPS receiver and uploads your media to the viNe website in order for others to keep track. Think real-time social networking, driven by your cellphone. Yeah, it's a touch too voyeuristic for our tastes, but you know you want to give it a go. Hit the read link to explore.[Via Symbian-Guru]
Samsung's S60-based I7110: HSDPA, AMOLED display, 5MP camera
Hardware fanatics, listen up -- a golden egg has been laid in the form of the Samsung I7110. Arriving with a slightly sleeker design than on the earlier spotted i7110c, this Symbian S60-based candybar has been revealed to the world today in London. Specs wise, you're looking at a luscious 2.6-inch AMOLED display, FM radio / transmitter , GPS navigation (with geotagging functionality), an accelerometer, "3D graphics," Bluetooth 2.0, HSDPA and WiFi. Additionally, it packs a 5-megapixel camera (with Auto Focus and a LED flash), robust multimedia player (DivX support included), 50MB of internal memory, a microSDHC slot, video recording, 11-hours of talk time and a 12.9-millimeter thin body. Price remains a mystery, but those in Russia will be the first in the know when it launches there next month. As for everyone else? Patience.
DXG and Geotate team on geotagging video camera
We're still waiting for geotagging to go mainstream on consumer-level still cams, but Geotate isn't waiting around in its quest for location-aware domination -- it's teamed up with DXG to develop the first geotagging video camera we've seen. The camera itself isn't anything special -- it's just another average DXG HD cam, based on the DVH586 -- but the geotagging is powered by Geotate's Yuma software, which does most of the heavy lifting on the server at import, so we'd expect it to be pretty robust. No word on pricing or availability, but we're assuming it'll fall in line with the rest of DXG's lineup on the cheaper side.
Third time's a charm: Jobo re-re-launches photoGPS geotagger
You've got to be kidding us, right? Since February of 2007, Jobo has been dangling this unicorn-like geotagger in our faces and threatening to launch every six months or so, and right on cue, the company is back with yet another claim of "it's almost here." This time at Photokina 2008, the outfit is asserting that its $159 GPS-packing add-on, which automatically geotags images of any camera it's docked on, is just one month away from being released in the US. Or, the Windows version at least -- Mac users will have to wait until the end of this year. Or next. Or the next. Or maybe even the next.[Via CNET]
ATP PhotoFinder mini geotagger doesn't require software
Most of the geotaggers we've seen have written location data to your photos using some fancy software on your machine after you've pulled images off your camera, but ATP's PhotoFinder mini moves the tagging step backwards in the process, writing geodata directly to images on your memory card. Like similar devices, the PhotoFinder mini records timelogged GPS data from a SiRF Star III chip while you shoot -- but when you're done, you insert your card into a base station, which tags your images using their EXIF timestamps. Sounds like a much simpler system than relying on third-party software to integrate with your photo-management apps -- we just wish the dock was also a card reader, which would make this a one-step process. No pricing info yet, but if this thing is reasonable, it'll certainly be tempting.[Via Photography Blog, thanks Mark]