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Researchers find way to measure blood pressure with a selfie video
In the near future, you might not have to traipse to your doctor or pharmacy to determine your blood pressure. Researchers have figured out a way to accurately measure it with your phone's camera.
HTC may not have PureView, but it does have ImageSense
Not to be outdone by the Nokia 808's appearance at MWC, HTC has released sample shots taken using the ImageSense camera module that comes in its One X and One S phones. In many ways they're normal-looking stills, with nothing like PureView's 41-megapixel oversampling (which is claimed to result in a superior still), and certainly no massive 1/1.2-inch sensor. However, if you look closely, you can see the benefits of some of HTC's improvements. Top among those is the faster f/2.0 lens, which will allow for shorter exposures and clearer moving subjects -- like the skateboarders above. Such images will also likely benefit from the 0.7-second time window for capturing an image and the 0.2-second auto-focus when shooting continuously. Whatever you make of the sample shots in the gallery below, HTC can also claim one key advantage over PureView -- at least for the time being: camera technology that still fits into a regular-sized smartphone.%Gallery-149381%
Belkin preps LiveAction camera remote for your iPhone
Look past the typical FCC dowdiness and you'll notice a Belkin-made remote shutter release for the iPhone. We have no notion of price or availability, but the regulatory paperwork does at least reveal how it works: the controller triggers still or video recording via Bluetooth and the accompanying LiveAction app, and it also houses a detachable stand for propping your phone up on a "variety of surfaces." Stop-motion shenanigans spring to mind, but the more obvious use is for group photos -- and you might consider pairing it with one of these to avoid cropping heads.
Toshiba unveils new CMOS sensor, flaunts smaller pixels
Hoping your next smartphone will have more megapixels while being even thinner than the last? Us too, but we're not known to skimp on image quality -- an unfortunate conundrum of squishing more pixels into a tighter space. Enter Toshiba's new CMOS sensor, advancing on both fronts, with 8 megapixels and what the firm reckons is the smallest pixel size in the industry at 1.12 micrometers. Also present is backside illumination, helping maximize photon accrual -- which should make a certain Steve oh-so proud. Currently being sampled, the teensy gizmo plans to go into mass production later this year. Interested? Peep the full release after the break.
OmniVision's new 5 megapixel CMOS sensor shoots 1080p video, is built for 'slimmer' devices
Apple might be poised to ditch OmniVision for its next round of iPhone / iPod Touch cameras, but that hasn't stopped the company from trotting out a fresh crop of sensors. Weeks after unveiling a beastly 12 megapixel number, it's announced the OV5690, a 5 megapixel chip, and the first to use the company's second-generation OmniBSI-2 pixel architecture. In addition to shooting 5 megapixel stills, it records 1080p video at 30 frames per second and 720p movies at 60fps. And, most notably, OmniVision cut the sensor's height by 20 percent in the hopes that it'll find a home in "slimmer" smartphones and tablets. So far, it's unclear what devices will incorporate it -- the company says key vendors are sampling the sensor at the moment, with mass production expected to begin in the second half of this year. Full PR after the break.
Aigo A8 / Leo 14 megapixel cameraphone hands-on (video)
We were wandering the floor at CES just before the end of the show when we stumbled upon this oddly familiar device. It's the Aigo A8 -- née Altek Leo -- an Android cameraphone (more like a phonecamera, really) destined for China Unicom that sports a 14 megapixel autofocus camera with a CCD sensor, xenon flash, 3x optical zoom, and support for 720p HD video recording. Of course, we wasted no time taking this rare beast for a spin, even going so far as to sample the camera. Take a look at the pictures below, followed by more information -- and videos -- after the break. %Gallery-113767% %Gallery-113769%
Casio Exilim CA003 and CA004 uncloaked in KDDI au's winter lineup
KDDI au's unleashing its winter lineup, and among them sits Casio's latest cameras phone, the 12.17 megapixel Exilim CA003 and 8 megapixel CA004. The higher-tier former boasts a 28mm wide angle lens with 3x optical zoom and autofocus, and a 3.3-inch WVGA OLED screen. It'll also shoot a quick burst of 20 pics per second when you need to capture the exact moment and aren't exactly sure when that is. Other amenities include microSDHC card slot, GPS, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, FM radio, and a handful of color options. Not wanting all that horsepower? The CA004 has smaller resolution shots, support up to 2GB microSD, and a 3.1-inch WVGA OLED screen, but is otherwise touting the same features. Akihabara News has some hands-on shots of the beaut you might wanna check out, unless you're the type who gets violently jealous by phones that aren't hitting American soil. [Via Engadget Japan] Read - KDDI au lineup Read - CA003 / CA004 hands-on
Sony Ericsson's facial recognition patent plays the perfect song to complement your mood
We don't expect this to be indicative of any near-term projects for the now financially hindered phone maker, but one of Sony Ericsson's recently unearthed patents paves the way for some interesting uses. From what we gather, while listening to music on your device, a picture of your face would be taken. That image would then be run through software that interprets your mood, and an appropriate next song based on those emotions would be picked -- so much for the art of mixtapes. Presumably, it'd also require a phone or device with a camera mounted on the same side as the screen, so unless mobile video conferencing takes off in a huge way, we can't see people paying extra for a phone or device with this configuration. And if you just got dumped over SMS, we hope it doesn't intepret those tears as a good time to play that Damien Rice song you two fell in love with. Hit up the read link for the full patent details. [Via Slash Gear]
