Logitech C920–1080p video calling

This could be really scary, Logitech is introducing their C920 Webcam with 1080P video calling. Hook this up with Skype and you are going to be able to display to whomever is hooking up with you, every detail that it is pointing at. This could be good, this could be very, very bad! Priced at around $100 it

Technical Details

• Full HD 1080p video calling (up to 1920 x 1080 pixels) with the latest version of Skype for Windows
• 720p HD video calling (up to 1280 x 720 pixels) with supported clients
• Full HD video recording (up to 1920 x 1080 pixels) with a recommended system
• Logitech Fluid Crystal™ Technology
• H.264 video compression
• Carl Zeiss® lens with 20-step autofocus
• Built-in dual stereo mics with automatic noise reduction
• Automatic low-light correction
• Hi-Speed USB 2.0 certified (USB 3.0 ready)
• Tripod-ready universal clip fits laptops, LCD or CRT monitors

Logitech webcam software:

• Video recording: Up to Full HD 1080p video capture
• Photo capture: Up to 15 megapixels (software enhanced)
• 1-click Facebook®, Twitter™ and YouTube™ HD upload (registration required)

Promotion Announcement: Buy 4 MimioTeach interactive systems Get 1 Free

From September 1^st through November 18^th, for every 4 MimioTeach products purchased, your customers are able to receive a FREE MimioTeach™ (a $799.00* value)!
About the promotion:
From September 1^st through November 18^th, sell 4 of the MimioTeach units (1762261) for just $799* each and your customer can receive a FREE MimioTeach. There is no limit to the number of free MimioTeach products you can receive with this offer.

Terms & Conditions:

• Promotion valid from September 1, 2011 through November 18, 2011.
• The promotion is valid for educational sales only.
• The promotion is limited to residents of the United States and Canada.
• Any product returns (defective replacements & repairs excluded) will result in the forfeiture of the corresponding number of free goods.
• All MimioTeach units being ordered must be on one purchase order.
• This promotion cannot be combined with any other offer, including bundle pricing.
• Each part number must be clearly listed on the purchase order with corresponding price, and an approved EPR/SOR number.
• All free units must be clearly listed as zero-dollar line item including part number and quantity on your purchase order.
• This offer is available for all customers purchasing at standard end-user pricing. Volume discounts do not apply.
• There is no limit to the number of free MimioTeach units received.
• All promotion-eligible purchase orders must be received between September 1, 2011 and November 18, 2011.

PR: Get more for less with funding, bundles or grants

Take a look at this link to learn how to take advantage of the opportunities to equip your classrooms with great, easy-to-use MimioClassroom Products.

Beat the September 30th deadline to use your American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) funds to purchase MimioClassroom products. DYMO/Mimio offers innovative products and professional development resources. Many schools have already used their ARRA funds on MimioClassroom products. But time is running out! Contact Mimio’s funding department to find out more about using your ARRA funds on MimioClassroom products >>

Stretch your budget even further with the MimioClassroom bundle. The MimioClassroom full bundle includes the MimioTeach™ interactive system, the MimioVote student assessment system (with 24 or 32 handsets), the MimioPad™ wireless tablet, and the MimioView™ document camera. By purchasing the MimioClassroom bundle, your educational institution will be able to participate in our Educator Pricing program while receiving additional savings for purchasing the complete MimioClassroom suite of products.
Get Educator Pricing for MimioClassroom products >>

Last month we announced the latest Mimio grant opportunity: Jump Start Your Classroom into the Future of Learning. This is a competitive grant open until August 26, 2011 to all K-12 education entities within the United States and Canada. Ten winning applicants will each be awarded select MimioClassroom products. Don’t miss out—submit your application today! Learn more about the Jump Start grant >>

*These opportunities are available only in the U.S. or Canada. For resources outside of North America, please contact PAConnect.

Muse Feature Tour available from Adobe TV

AdobeTv has 24 free video tutorials that will help you get started using Muse. Muse is the free design tool and creation app that let’s you mock-up and publish your website without having to learn any code at all.

Muse is for graphic designers who want to easily create unique and professional websites. See how you can design and publish original HTML websites to the latest web standards without writing code. It’s as easy as creating a print layout in InDesign!

Key Features of Muse

• Plan your project — Easy-to-use sitemaps, master pages, and a host of flexible, site-wide tools make it fast and intuitive to get your site planned out and ready for design.
• Design your pages — Combine imagery, graphics and text with complete control, flexibility and power (almost as if you were using Adobe InDesign).
• Add interactivity — Drag and drop fully customizable widgets like navigation menus and slide shows, embed HTML code snippets to include things like Google Maps, enable tool tips, rollovers and much more.
• Publish your site — Preview your site with Muse to see how it looks and test how it works. Then convert to a live website using Adobe for hosting, or export the HTML for hosting with a provider of your choice.

Download a free copy of Muse. Here are the free video titles:

University of Ottawa -- Delivering Multimedia to 100 iPads

Here is a quick note to show how Wi-Fi networks can truly deliver a reliable Wi-Fi experience on tablets and smartphones. There was a recent deployment at University of Ottawa where they ran 6 multimedia applications across 100 iPads in 1 room!

The goal was to baseline performance of Wi-Fi networks for the influx of mobile devices. This was made possible with Aruba’s 802.11n Wi-Fi, which is the industry’s first and only solution to be validated with real-time multimedia apps over iPads. This test offers a model for not just Higher Education, but also any enterprise that needs to support mobile devices and voice/video applications.

Click here to read more and watch the 3 minute video. Please contact us directly to see how this can be relevant for network planning decisions.

Visit our website for more information

Jude Daigle

New Menu Option on Site

I have added a MyWay Video Menu Option and of course a page full of the MyWay product demonstrations.

If you are interested in the product be sure to take a look at these videos. The will give you a quick look at the interface and how to use it. Take a look here.

HBO GO released for ios devices

It wasn’t that I could hardly wait for this to be released but I was surprised how well it works in its first iteration. It is fast and seemed to stream very well over my WIFI network. You must be an HBO subscriber to access the content but after you key in your account information up pops all of the current movies and shows playing on HBO as well as past documentaries, sports and HBO produced series. So if you haven’t been following a current series, missed a passed series or episode you can quickly come up to speed with this application. This app works on all of you ios devices so you can watch you HBO content on your iPhone, iPod touch or iPad.

HBO GO allows users to view programming over either a Wi-Fi or 3G connection, making the entire lineup of HBO shows and movies available while on-the-go. Bonus features and special behind-the-scenes extras are included in the HBO GO service and the app allows users to also create customized watchlists and smart “Series Pass” lists to easily follow their favorite shows. HBO GO is available only in the U.S. and requires a 3G or Wi-Fi connection for viewing content. The universal iOS app requires iOS 3.2 or later and an iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, third- and fourth-generation iPod touch or iPad. HBO GO isavailable from the App Store as a free download.

(PR) New Patriot LX PRO Series Obliterates Current SDHC Class10 Performance Classification

I have been real happy with my Patriot SDHC 16GB Class 10 card but these new NAND flash cards from Patriot Memory take you to the next level. The Pro Series of the LX line have increased the the transfer speeds to 20MB/s, twice that of a typical Class 10 SDHC card. The high-speed transfer speeds ensure photographs and video are written to the memory card instantly to the Patriot LX PRO Series

Click to read more ...

Thunderbolt Technology-Intel’s new high-speed PC Connection Technology

Press Release:

Intel Corporation today announced the availability of Thunderbolt technology, a new high-speed PC connection technology that brings together high-speed data transfer and high-definition (HD) display on to a single cable. Running at 10 Gbps, Thunderbolt technology can transfer a full-length HD movie in less than 30 seconds. This Intel-developed technology is coming to market through a technical collaboration with Apple, and is available first on Apple's new line of MacBook Pro laptop computers.

Thunderbolt technology formally known as Light Peak, is envisioned as a technology to move media faster between devices and simplify device connections. It will combine high=-speed data and HD video connections onto a single cable. Thunderbolt will be used to connect PCI Express for data transfer and DisplayPort for display systems.

PCI Express has the flexibility to connect to almost any type of device, and DisplayPort can drive greater than 1080p resolution displays and up to eight channels of audio simultaneously. Thunderbolt technology is compatible with existing DisplayPort displays and adapters. All Thunderbolt technology devices share a common connector, and let individuals simply daisy-chain their devices one after another, connected by electrical or optical cables.

What is Thunderbolt technology and how does it work

Developed by Intel (under the code name Light Peak), and brought to market with technical collaboration from Apple. Thunderbolt technology is a new, high-speed, dual-protocol I/O technology designed for performance, simplicity, and flexibility. This high-speed data transfer technology features the following:

• Dual-channel 10 Gbps per port
• Bi-directional
• Dual-protocol (PCI Express* and DisplayPort*)
• Compatible with existing DisplayPort devices
• Daisy-chained devices
• Electrical or optical cables
• Low latency with highly accurate time synchronization
• Uses native protocol software drivers
• Power over cable for bus-powered devices

Intel's Thunderbolt controllers interconnect a PC and other devices, transmitting and receiving packetized traffic for both PCIe and DisplayPort protocols. Thunderbolt technology works on data streams in both directions, at the same time, so users get the benefit of full bandwidth in both directions, over a single cable. With the two independent channels, a full 10 Gbps of bandwidth can be provided for the first device, as well as additional downstream devices.

And all Thunderbolt devices share a common connector, allowing users to daisy chain devices one after another with interoperable cables.

What Thunderbolt means to users

Thunderbolt technology enables using the thinnest and lightest laptops and connecting to the extra power and performance of other devices when needed, using a single cable. Adding new performance devices is simple and easy—just plug and play—making Thunderbolt technology powerful and flexible.

Thunderbolt technology was specifically designed with professional audio and video applications in mind, where the inherently low latency and highly accurate time synchronization features play a crucial role.

Workstation performance expansion, now with a laptop

With Thunderbolt enabled products, video editing and sharing using Intel® Quick Sync Video technology is even faster and easier.

Data transfers for backup, sharing, and editing are tremendously accelerated using Thunderbolt products, significantly reducing times to complete these tasks.

And Thunderbolt enabled products are compatible with existing DisplayPort devices so you don’t have to go buy a new display to take advantage of a Thunderbolt technology enabled computer.

What does Thunderbolt technology mean for the PC industry

By tapping into the performance and protocols delivered over Thunderbolt technology, designers are free to innovate new PC products and configurations, no longer constrained to the boundaries of the chassis walls. Thunderbolt technology enables engineers to:

• Design standalone performance expansion technologies commonly used in desktops and workstations, using existing native device drivers and interconnected by a single cable.
• Introduce thinner and lighter laptops, expandable through Thunderbolt technology and its miniature connector designed for mobile applications, without sacrificing I/O performance.
• Extend to reach other I/O technologies by using adapters that use widely available PCI Express controllers. It's simple to create a Gigabit Ethernet, or FireWire, or eSATA adapters using existing device PCI Express drivers.

Thunderbolt products require a controller chip supplied by Intel and a small connector that would be included in platforms supporting this technology. The Thunderbolt controller chip provides protocol switching capabilities to support the two protocols over a single cable. Intel is making its controller chip available to the industry, and is working with other component manufacturers to deliver the Thunderbolt connectors and cables.

Apple's subscription plan: Time for an app work stoppage | ZDNet

Thought that this was an interesting article about how Apple’s “greed” may get in the way of their keeping their current high market position in the smartphone/tablet world. If they have companies like Amazon, Netflix and Hulu pull their apps from iTunes then they will begin to miss a large part of the entertainment market when it comes to streaming media. This might not be as big a problem for the iPhone but the iPad may see some serious fallout to the android tablets that will soon be plentiful. The sooner that these new tablets are out and provide and alternative the the Apple monopoly the sooner they may see this happen. I would hate for my sake, since I own an iPad to lose these streaming services because I do use them on my tablet but it isn’t my only use of it. If I have to go back to my PC or grab a new device I will probably do it.

Apple's subscription plan: Time for an app work stoppage | ZDNet

Now Google is drawing a line in the sand!

Apple was the first on the video playback fight by denying video playback of flash based graphics. Now our friends at Google Have decided to pull support of H.264 encoded videos from their Chrome browser.

H.264 is used on Blue-ray discs and in many consumer based video products but has some issues that must be considered. Many Web standards advocates oppose using it because it is based on a patented video compression format that licenser's have to pay a royalty fee in able to use it. This closes the open format discussion that Apple is using as one of its arguments against Adobe Flash content.

Google is trying to push its own WebM Format to replace H.264. The technology behind the WebM project originated with On2 a company that Google purchased in August 2009. The VP8 codec doesn't have the patent and royalty issues and still provides comparable video quality in respect with H.264.

As this battle continues to heat up to be the winner of the codec war, the loser in reality is us!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Skype 3.0 adds video calling

Those of you that use Skype will be interested in the new release from Skype of its IOS release of Skype 3.0. We tried it out over 3G yesterday and while it was a little grainy and choppy was useable for basic communications on your iPhone 4 and 3GS and 4th generation iPod. While the image displayed is really grainy you can make out larger objects but if you need to send text you are better off taking a picture and sending it that way.

You can see the image to the right that the back camera from my iPhone 3gs can only do so much. This was a screen grab from my computer’s Skype communication box. You can easily flip your phone’s camera on and off but the receiving system needs to accept the image as well.

Captured Lunar Eclipse a real work of art

We have so many things that we can experience that brings awe into our lives and the movement of the Earth and Moon and their relationship to the Sun makes some beautiful art. William Castleman took a series of time lapse photographs and put them together into movie from the hour plus long Lunar Eclipse that occurred during this year’s Winter Solstice.

I hope that you enjoy it as much as I did.

William Castleman’s vimeo blog.

Looks like VGA is in its last days

Manufacturers are taming up to phase out the VGA and LVDS display connectors by 2015. You may be surprised in who they are: Intel, AMD, Dell, Lenovo, Samsung and LG have all made this commitment. So, what are they replacing it with? HDMI and DisplayPort will be pushed as you new default connections (and this is happening already).

AMD has said that it will discontinue VGA and LVDS outputs from most of it's products by 2013 following this by a complete stop by 2015.

Intel has also said that HDMI is being increasingly adopted by PC's for easy connection to consumer electronics and TV's while DisplayPort is expected to become the single PC display output for monitors, projectors and embedded flat panels.

HDMI and DisplayPort allow for slimmer laptops, support higher resolutions, more colors and features than the 20-year-old VGA connector. On top of the features and benefits they also consume less power which is always a good thing for mobile tech.

AMD had a little something to say: "Display standards are rapidly evolving, with new features such as multi-display support, stereoscopic 3-D, higher resolutions and increased color depth quickly moving from early adopter and niche usage to mainstream application,". "VGA, DVI and LVDS have not kept pace."

LOOXCIE–Take video handsfree!

The Looxcie (LOOKSEE) video camera is a combination Bluetooth earpiece and video camera rolled up in one. There is a IOS4 app that allows you to control, capture and share your video using your iPhone 3GS and 4. Position the Bendable Earloop over your ear and adjust the camera so it points to where you are looking. Use your iPhone as your viewfinder to make sure that your Looxcie is level and pointing where you are looking. You can adjust it to wear on either your left or right side and it comes with multiple earbuds to give you the best fit for comfort and function.

Specifications

Wearable Weighs less than 28g (1 oz.) Video HVGA video resolution 4 GB on-board storage f 2.8 lens Auto high color and light correction 5+ hours video storage 4+ hours record time MP4 video files Battery Fast-charging 365mAh lithium polymer battery UL/CSA-approved power supply

Headset Bluetooth Class 2 Bluetooth V2.1 + EDR Hands Free Profile (HFP 1.5) Dual silicon MEMS microphones DSP-based noise cancellation 6+ hours talk time Range to 33 feet USB Micro-USB Connector USB 2.0 mass storage compatibility

This product has had some great reviews and I can see some instances that it would be nice to have it available. However, it is a bit pricy at $199 but if you have the extra cash available and some real uses then it could be a good addition to your gadget list.

They have some great video on their site and more detail on how to set it up and use it. If your interested in this product you will definitely want to take a look at this.

Team Black Sheep–Flying in New York City Really Cool Video!

This is a great video showing parts of New Your City from the air. The really neat thing about this video is how it was taken. The video was shot using a camera attached to a remote-controlled airplane which was flown around New York City.

More information:

Team Black Sheep flying in New York, over the Brooklyn and Verazano Bridge, around Downtown Manhattan and the Statue of Liberty. Enjoy!
How to build your own / FPV system information, camera and transmitter details, etc: http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showth...
Music: Sackcloth Fashion - Under Man (Instrumental)
http://www.amazon.com/Under-Man-Instr...
Equipment by:
www.immersionrc.com
www.lastonedown.com
www.ritewingrc.com
FPV shops:
www.nghobbies.com
www.readymaderc.com
FPV communities:
www.rcgroups.com/video-piloting-fpv-rpv-­469/
www.fpv-community.com

Netflix adds unlimited streaming plan; raises prices for DVD plans

Some good news and some bad! Netflix is now offering an unlimited streaming-only subscription plan for those of you who don’t want to deal with DVD’s and the United Postal Service. The bad news is that Netflix is raising its prices on several other plans that are based around DVDs.

The unlimited streaming plan will run $7.99 a month, which puts it right in line with Hulu Plus’ offering. This plan is available right now. As for the price hikes, the 1-DVD and 2-DVDs out at a time plans will rise by $1 while the 3 DVDs-plan will jump $3 to $19.99. This will definitely make the streaming option a lot more attractive to those who have an internet connection that can handle it.

I know that I for one would probably be better suited with the streaming only plan because I don’t turn around the DVDs very often. I have one that I am currently sitting on for over a month and during that time the streaming version  has become available.

Hulu Plus is now out of preview with new $7.99 subscription cost!

I am an active user of the free Hulu product on my computer at home, but I really wanted the offer of anytime/anywhere access that Hulu Plus promised on my iPhone and iPad devices. Have I been using this service? Yes, but I am not as happy with the selection as compared with what is available on my computer.You would think that with word PLUS in its name, there would be more, but that doesn’t seem to be the case. The list seems to be getting better but not fast enough to suit me. Is it something that will cause me leave the service? Not yet. But it is nice that the price has dropped to $7.99 and that we should be seeing some credits back for us earlier adopters.

Here is a quick breakdown from Hulu that shows the differences between the two services:

Whether the $2 per month savings will be enough to spark a new wave of subscribers is hard to say—the service is still pricey for a somewhat limited selection of popular shows. Then again, Hulu Plus does offer complete seasons for current shows (something free users won't get), but unless you're the type to blow through whole seasons of recent shows, it may be a better use of your money to subscribe to Netflix instead.

Veebeam Wirelessly Streams Web Video to Your TV

Here is a neat product that looked interesting when we read about it.

If you want to be able to display video content from your PC to your big screen TV, then this might be just the thing for you. 

It is available in SD (480i) and HD (1080p) version at $99 and $139 respectively. For the extra $40 it looks to me like the best configuration would be the HD Version. 

They are taking preorders on this product now and are planning on beginning shipments in early October, 2010.

It’s Features include:

• Streams Netflix, Hulu, BBC iPlayer, YouTube and other Internet sites
• Built-in wireless PC to TV link
• Easy to setup, easy to use
• Compatible with Mac OS X (10.5, 10.6), Windows 7, and Vista
• Ideal for laptops
• Use laptop keyboard & track pad to control playback

and on the HD you also get:

• Plays 1080p HD movie files
• Optical audio output for surround sound
• HDMI connector
• Displays photos and desktop in HD
• Two (2) USB ports for future support of webcams and external hard-drives

The magic behind the product is that it is using Wireless USB based technology (WUSB). WUSB uses radio technology in the Ultra-wideband realm. This high-bandwidth, low-power method of wireless data transmission enables the secure, high-speed connection required for functions like HD Video transmission. Intel has helped to support this initiative and we are now seeing it come in products like this one. One of the other benefits is that it is a secured transmission so you don’t have to worry about it being intercepted.

Wireless USB creates a secure point-to-point connection between your laptop and your TV. WUSB is more powerful than traditional WiFi because it offers more bandwidth, better security and less interference over short distances.

Best performance of this device comes when all of the equipment is in the same room. I look forward to testing this out when I get my hands on it.

Netflix in the News Again

Be sure to update your iPhone so you can now watch your Netflix on your phone as well. For around $9/month you have the ability to stream content from Netflix to not only your computers but also to your iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad. When you think about the size of our phone it having the ability to stream beautifully formatted movies and TV shows to you phone and other media devices. The Application is simple and easy to use and renders well to the screen size that it is played on. Access to mobile media is expanding for sure. Enjoy your movies while you are on the go!

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