LYTRO: The Future of Photography?

An exciting revolution is about to happen in the way we take pictures.  A start up company in Silicon Valley called LYTRO is set to release a new kind of camera to the consumer market.

They call it the light field camera and what it does is it uses the power light to help you capture life's precious moments.  The secret is in the sensor which captures all the light rays in the scene.  Unlike conventional cameras, this new sensor records the color, intensity, and direction of the ray of light.  A special software inside the camera will process all these information to allow the viewer to switch focus points.  

Thia means there is no need to worry about focusing your shot anymore or whether the auto-focus function in your camera actually focused on your intended area.  In fact, the company's slogan is "Shoot now, focus later."

You can give it a try with the photo below.  Click on Elvis and see what happens.

Want to try more of this? Then head off to the company's website and have fun with their Picture Gallery.

The New Nikon D5100

Nikon recently announced the Nikon D5100, a Nikon DX-format digital-SLR camera equipped with a vari-angle monitor, and a 16.2 megapixels CMOS image sensor and the EXPEED 2 image-processing engine that enable high-resolution rendering.  

It is also equipped with the D-Movie function that supports recording of full-HD (1920 X 1080p, 30p) movies.  Along with this, are the in-camera movie editing functions that allow users to delete unnecessary portions from the beginning and/or end of movie files. There is also an HDMI output so that the users can show off their full-HD videos to their family and friends.

What I am excited about the Nikon D5100 is the Special Effects mode.  This is the first Nikon DSLR to offer this feature and the user can choose from seven special effects, including selective color where the entire photo is in black and white except for the elements chosen by the user.  There is also the night vision which  allows the user to capture images even in extremely dark places.  The special effects can be viewed through the lens before shooting, allowing users to see and confirm the results.  Complementing these features is the new High Dynamic Range (HDR) function which captures two shots at different exposures and combine these to create a single image that has little or no loss of highlights.

Another neat feature of this camera is the vari-angle monitor. The vari-angle monitor opens from 0 to 180° to the side, and can be rotated up to 90° clockwise and up to 180° counter-clockwise when it is open.  This will come in handy when shooting in a crowded place and the standard monitor won't do the job.  The 3-inch monitor is also bigger than the one in Nikon D5000 and since the hinge is now on the side, it will not hit the tripod when the camera is mounted.


The Nikon D5100 allows continuous shooting at up to approximately 4fps.  It also has a quiet shutter release mode for shooting in places and situations that needs quieter shutter operations.

The Nikon D5100 comes with an AF-S DX NIKKOR 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G VR kit lens. It is not yet available in the Philippines but it has as estimated selling price of $899.95 in the United States.

iPad closes in on the Kindle

A survey done by a research firm named Changewave shows that the iPad is quickly closing in on the Kindle in the e-reader market. The survey of more than 2,800 consumers showed the Kindle leading by 47 to 32 percent, which is markedly lower than its 62 to 16 percent lead in the last survey.

Additionally, the same survey showed that 75 percent of iPad users are very satisfied with their e-reader, while some 54 percent of Kindle users are very satisfied with their device. Almost all Kindle owners (93 percent) use their device to read books, while those with iPads are 5 times more likely to read digital newspapers, blogs and magazines.



Among those surveyed, 42 percent responded that they would likely buy an iPad in the next 90 days to use as e-reader. Only 33 percent responded that they would get a Kindle.

Read more about the survey here

Favorite Apps

In one of our discussions, one of my fellow Mac fans asked us what iPad or iPhone Apps are our favorites and can't live without. I told him I have a number of favorite apps but not necessarily I can't live without. I downloaded some apps from the Apps Store to my iPad and use some of them more often than the others.

One of these is Pulse, a news aggregator developed by two Stanford students. It combines the convenience of RSS feeds with the engaging interface of a web browser. What I like about this app is that I can choose which news provider to subscribe to and place them in a grid. I can access them anytime I want and get updated on current and tech news without leaving the app.

For making on the spot reports and other documents, I use Pages. It is almost the same as the desktop version except that when sent through email, you will have to convert your work into a document that Pages could read. Otherwise, it's the only app I need to make documents.

I use iBooks and Kindle for iPad alternately to read my e-books because I have books on both formats. My only issue about reading on an iPad is eyestrain. Yes, even with the adjustable brightness, I cannot read as much as I would with paper book. This is one reason why I am contemplating on buying a Kindle.

Another favorite is Magic Piano. I can actually make music with this app even if I don't know how to play the instrument. All I did was turn on one of it's auto modes and voila! I can play music from it's songbook by just following the falling dots on the screen.

If I have time to waste, which is very seldom, I play games on my iPad. The big screen on this baby could sometimes make me waste more time than I should.

There's Angry Birds, the insanely addicting game that involves slinging birds to beat the green pigs that stole their eggs. The game is so wicked because its levels become more and more challenging as you progress.

Also wicked is Zynga's Scramble. It looks easy because you only need to make words from random letters on a 4x4 board. Try playing the online mode and compete with other players around the globe. The next thing you knew, hours have passed and the deadline you're trying to meet has come closer.

These are the apps that I use most of the time. There are others on my iPad that are also worth mentioning and I would discuss on another post.

Smart Bro Pocket WiFi

Smart Bro recently launched its Pocket WiFi, a 3G+WiFi router that allows up to 5 persons to connect at one time.  This is  Smart's answer to Globe's MyFi which was released in July.

This new service is available on postpaid for now at PhP495  for 50 hours per month.  Add another PhP150 for the device for the next 24 months lock-in period.  So that means you should fork out a total of PhP645 for 24 months.  Should you exceed the 50 hour limit, you will be charged  Php10 for every 30 minutes.

Smart promises a connection speed of up to 2Mbps and a nationwide coverage, unlike the SmartBro Share-It which is area specific.  That means, you can create your own hotspot wherever you are in the country.

I'm a SmartBro user whenever I go out of town but I use the USB dongle.  I could easily connect wherever there is a Smart cellular coverage and the speed is good enough.  In fact I used it  during my trips to Pagudpud and Bohol and I couldn't complain with the connection I got on both occasions .  If the same is true with this service, then it's worth trying.  The only thing that's holding me back is the 50 hour limit per month.  Yes, it's handy when I am out of town on a short period of time but when I am on vacation or something, I could easily use that up within a week.  Why Smart did not offer an unlimited plan is a mystery.  A little birdie told me though that Smart may have placed the time limit because   this new service might compete directly with their other products, like Smart Share It which has a Plan999 unlimited connection.

Skype 5.0 for Mac Beta now available

Skype recently announced the release of a beta version of Skype 5.0 for Mac.  The new version features a single window for ease of use and integrated the Address Book so you can call, IM and SMS your contacts even when they are offline.

Another new feature of the beta version is group video calling which allows you to make video calls with more than two people at a time.  Just make sure that they are also on Skype 5.0 Beta for Mac or Skype 5.0 for Windows for group video calling to work.  It is free for now but the company would probably start charging fees after the Beta stage.

The new Control Bar allows you to manage calls from a mini Skype control bar that sits on top of any open web page, document or photo.

For more information and to download the beta version, click here.

A PlayStation Phone?

I am following a series of stories on engadget.com regarding an upcoming PlayStation Phone.  According to the site, it will be an Android based gadget with 8GB internal memory which can be upgraded through MicroSD.  Information about the device is still limited and incomplete but the Engadget people are certain that the data and pictures they have on hand are real.  Anyway,  if you want to follow this story too,  here's a good place to start.