If you still have any doubts about Intel's ambitions in the mobile hardware space, they should all be removed by the official news that the chip giant has moved to acquire Infineon's wireless unit. For US$1.4 billion, Intel will get a company with technologies that complement its own chip building capabilities, since a mobile phone combines both communications (from Infineon's wireless unit) and processing aspects (Intel's own Atom derivatives). We are still not too sold about Intel's 7.7 billion capture of McAfee though.
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Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Sony's Translucent Mirror Technology Makes an Appearance (30/08/2010)
Sony Alpha SLT-A55V & Sony Alpha SLT-A33
A term coined for Sony's new technology, the Translucent Mirror Technology, came up several times during the media-only workshop held recently. What is it all about? It refers to the replacement of the mirror box used in conventional DSLR with a new patented mirror box that contains translucent mirrors. Prominently, this makes the new 16.2-megapixel SLT-A55V and 14.2-megapixel SLT-A33 cameras, the first two to incorporate this technology in the Alpha series, 23% smaller than their older cousin, the A550; they are also more than 100g lighter and smaller than the newly-announced A580 and A560 cousins using a conventional mirror box.
We had a closer look at the mirror that's in the cameras.
Improvements discussed at length include: full-time and quick 15-point TTL phase-detection autofocusing during live view and while using the viewfinder. Because of the removal of the movable mirror and subsequent replacement of the former with the fixed translucent mirror, the cameras are able to react faster. Similarly, the mirror allows light passing through the lens to be received by both the image and auto focus sensor.
A summary of three main benefits that users can get from the SLT-A55V, and the SLT-A33 - most notably the continuous 15-point phase-detection AF system during Full HD recording. Other features include a built-in GPS that allows users to geotag their photos (only available on the A55), as well as the 3D Sweep Panorama mode which allows photographers to capture photos in 3D and play them on any 3D-compatible LCD TV.
Here, we tried shooting a moving train set with the A33, which shoots up to 7 fps on continuous shooting. The A55 can shoot up to 10 fps.
While prices for the A55 have not been officially released, we had first-hand information about the A33: the camera will make its first retail appearance during the upcoming COMEX event, priced at S$1099 with 18-35mm kit lens. Do note, quantity is limited.
Friday, August 27, 2010
Sigma releases 70-200mm F2.8 OS for Nikon (27/08/2010)
Sigma has announced its 70-200mm F2.8 EX DG OS HSM image-stabilised fast telezoom is now available in Nikon F mount. Previously available in Canon EF mount, the Nikon version is priced at $2,470. The lens features a new optical design that uses two elements made of the company's recently developed 'FLD' glass plus three SLD glass elements to reduce aberrations, a 9-blade circular aperture, and features full-time manual focus override. It also comes with an adapter for APS-C users.
SIGMA APO 70-200mm F2.8 EX DG OS HSM
SIGMA APO 70-200mm F2.8 EX DG OS HSM specifications
| Focal length | 70-200mm |
|---|---|
| Maximum aperture | f/2.8 |
| Minimum aperture | f/22 |
| Lens construction | • 17 groups 22 elements • 3 SLD glass elements • 2 FLD glass elements |
| Angle of view | 34.3°-12.3° |
| Closest focus distance | 140cm / 55.1in |
| Maximum reproduction ratio | 1:8 |
| Aperture blades | 9 (rounded) |
| Filter attachment size | 77 mm |
| AF motor | HSM motor |
| Dimensions | 86.4mm x 197.6mm (3.4in x 7.8in) |
| Weight | TBC |
| Supplied accessories | • Case • Petal-type Hood (LH850-02) • Hood Adapter • Tripod socket TS-21 |
| Optional accessories | • Sigma DG UV 77mm • Sigma DG Circular Polarizer 77mm • APO Teleconverter 1.4x EX DG • APO Teleconverter 2x EX DG |
| Mounts | Sigma, Sony, Nikon, Pentax, Canon |
Silicon Power Releases SDHC Class10 32GB Memory Card (26/08/2010)
August 25, 2010, Taipei, Taiwan - Silicon Power announces their 32GB Class10 SDHC card. It is the largest capacity according to SD3.0 specifications set by the SD Association. The card is rated Class10 featuring minimum read / write speeds of 10MB/sec which brings absolutely the best out of your digital handheld devices! Whether you are a photography enthusiast using a HD camcorder to capture your everyday amazing life or a professional photographer constantly shooting with continuous burst mode, Silicon Power’s 32GB Class10 SDHC card ensures you a smooth recording experience!
With the prevalence of high definition DV and camera, high speed / capacity flash memory cards are no longer the sole domain of professionals. The miniaturization of digital devices implies that CF cards must give way to smaller storage options. Silicon Power’s 32GB Class10 SDHC card features 10MB/sec transfer speed (1.6x the speed of Class6 SDHC cards) with the size of a post stamp. The 32GB capacity can store more than 10 thousands photos and records over 12hrs of video with 6Mbps (1440*1080) resolution. Users need not to worry about insufficient storage space or slow transfer speed. Silicon Power 32GB Class10 SDHC card can let you get the most out of your HD cameras and camcorders and fully enjoy your photography or video recording experiences.
Silicon Power’s Class10 SDHC card is in compliance with SD3.0 specifications set by the SD Association. It features superb compatibility with cameras, card readers and many other SD-compliant devices available in the market. All Silicon Power flash memory cards come with lifetime warranty. Silicon Power’s 32GB Class10 SDHC card is available in 4GB/8GB/16GB/32GB capacities for photographers and enthusiasts alike to choose from and take advantage of your HD digital handheld devices.
Silicon Power’s Class10 SDHC card is in compliance with SD3.0 specifications set by the SD Association. It features superb compatibility with cameras, card readers and many other SD-compliant devices available in the market. All Silicon Power flash memory cards come with lifetime warranty. Silicon Power’s 32GB Class10 SDHC card is available in 4GB/8GB/16GB/32GB capacities for photographers and enthusiasts alike to choose from and take advantage of your HD digital handheld devices.
Attention : - Dangerous Virus Attacks Instant Messaging Clients (26/08/2010)
August 26, 2010, Singapore - A highly infectious new family of computer worms that target popular instant messaging clients in order to take control of a computer without the user’s knowledge has been discovered.
According to Kaspersky Lab, a leading developer of secure content management solutions, it is only a matter of time before Internet users in Asia are attacked.
Mexico, Brazil, Peru and the USA have seen the greatest numbers of infections, with what is being dubbed the ‘IM-Worm’ also spreading across Africa, India and Europe (particularly Spain).
What makes these worms highly unusual is that they are multilingual and capable of infecting users via several IM clients simultaneously, including Yahoo! Messenger, Skype, Paltalk Messenger, ICQ, Windows Live Messenger, Google Talk and the XFire client for gamers.
Four variants of this worm have so far been detected by experts at Kaspersky Lab, who have named the family IM-Worm.Win32.Zeroll.
Once it penetrates a computer, it looks in the contact list of any IM client present and sends itself to all the addresses it finds. Infection occurs when a user follows what they think is a hyperlink to an interesting picture, that in fact leads to a malicious file. The link appears in an instant message sent by an infected machine.
The fact that it is multilingual also makes the new family of IM worms stand out. IM-Worm.Win32.Zeroll uses 13 different languages, including English, German, Spanish and Portuguese, sending users in various countries messages in a language that they will understand.
At the present time, Mexico, Brazil, Peru and the USA have seen the greatest number of infections, but many instances have also been recorded in Africa, India and European countries, particularly Spain.
IM-Worm.Win32.Zeroll has backdoor functionality, which means it can gain control of a computer without the user’s knowledge. Once it has penetrated a system, the worm contacts a remote command and control center.
After receiving its instructions from the center via IRC, IM-Worm.Win32.Zeroll starts downloading other malicious programs. Interestingly, this new breed of IM worm connects to different IRC channels depending on the country and the infected application. This means a hacker controlling a network of infected computers can classify them according to country and IM client and send out different commands, which is useful, for example, when distributing targeted spam.
“It appears that the worm’s creators are currently in the early stages of their criminal activities,” said Mr Jimmy Fong, Channel Sales Director of Kaspersky Lab, Southeast Asia.
“They are infecting as many machines as they can in order to get good offers from other crooks for such things as pay per install, spam and so on,” Mr Fong said.
All Kaspersky Lab products successfully detect and neutralize the new family of IM worms.
According to Kaspersky Lab, a leading developer of secure content management solutions, it is only a matter of time before Internet users in Asia are attacked.
Mexico, Brazil, Peru and the USA have seen the greatest numbers of infections, with what is being dubbed the ‘IM-Worm’ also spreading across Africa, India and Europe (particularly Spain).
What makes these worms highly unusual is that they are multilingual and capable of infecting users via several IM clients simultaneously, including Yahoo! Messenger, Skype, Paltalk Messenger, ICQ, Windows Live Messenger, Google Talk and the XFire client for gamers.
Four variants of this worm have so far been detected by experts at Kaspersky Lab, who have named the family IM-Worm.Win32.Zeroll.
Once it penetrates a computer, it looks in the contact list of any IM client present and sends itself to all the addresses it finds. Infection occurs when a user follows what they think is a hyperlink to an interesting picture, that in fact leads to a malicious file. The link appears in an instant message sent by an infected machine.
The fact that it is multilingual also makes the new family of IM worms stand out. IM-Worm.Win32.Zeroll uses 13 different languages, including English, German, Spanish and Portuguese, sending users in various countries messages in a language that they will understand.
At the present time, Mexico, Brazil, Peru and the USA have seen the greatest number of infections, but many instances have also been recorded in Africa, India and European countries, particularly Spain.
IM-Worm.Win32.Zeroll has backdoor functionality, which means it can gain control of a computer without the user’s knowledge. Once it has penetrated a system, the worm contacts a remote command and control center.
After receiving its instructions from the center via IRC, IM-Worm.Win32.Zeroll starts downloading other malicious programs. Interestingly, this new breed of IM worm connects to different IRC channels depending on the country and the infected application. This means a hacker controlling a network of infected computers can classify them according to country and IM client and send out different commands, which is useful, for example, when distributing targeted spam.
“It appears that the worm’s creators are currently in the early stages of their criminal activities,” said Mr Jimmy Fong, Channel Sales Director of Kaspersky Lab, Southeast Asia.
“They are infecting as many machines as they can in order to get good offers from other crooks for such things as pay per install, spam and so on,” Mr Fong said.
All Kaspersky Lab products successfully detect and neutralize the new family of IM worms.
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