'World's first' glasses-free 3D TV hits stores

TOKYO: Toshiba has launched what it calls the world's first television that allows viewers to see 3D images without the need to wear special glasses, amid intensifying competition in the market.

Curious shoppers stopped to test out the screen at an electronics store in central Tokyo (Japan) as the 12-inch model of Regza GL1 Series went on sale.

The new model with a liquid crystal display carries a price tag of 119,800 yen (1,400 dollars). A 20-inch model will be released on Saturday.

The new 3D TV does not require users to wear special glasses, whereas other 3D-capable models require glasses that act as filters to separate images to each eye to create the illusion of depth.

Toshiba's screens use processing technology to create depth-filled images and the Regza GL1 Series allow users to switch between 2D and 3D on normal TV programmes.

Kazuhito Gunji, a public relations official at electronics retailer Bic Camera, said the company had received many inquiries from customers on when they can get their hands on the product.

Electronics stores are hoping that the release of the latest technology will help offset declining sales as government incentives for purchasing environment-friendly home appliances were reduced this month.

The hugely competitive TV sector is a challenge for many electronics makers given that customers are increasingly accustomed to declining prices, making it difficult for the industry to generate profits.

Sony on Monday said it may fall short of its sales goal of 25 million liquid crystal display TV sets this fiscal year as it struggles to be profitable in the sector, and has also embraced 3D TV technology.

Most shoppers were curious but also cautious about the new device on Wednesday, however.

"I want to watch on a big screen," said a 47-year-old man who has a 37-inch TV at home. "I'll wait for another year before buying," he said.

Another customer, 33, said: "It's great that we don't have to wear glasses, which is a nuisance."

"But I didn't feel images were flying out of the screen on some programmes," he added.

Toshiba says images on the 12-inch screen are best viewed from the front and some 65 centimetres (26 inches) away.

"Customers currently think of 3D images as just an add-on function... but 3D is expected to become a standard eventually" with 3D films and video titles increasing, said Toshiba sales official Eiichi Matsuzawa.

Rival Sharp earlier this year unveiled a small glasses-free LCD touchscreen that shows 3D images for use in mobile phones, digital cameras and games consoles such as Nintendo's 3DS, to be released in Japan in February 2011.

rEAD mORE: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/tech/personal-tech/computing/Worlds-first-glasses-free-3D-TV-hits-stores/articleshow/7144218.cms

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What iPad 2 has that iPad doesn't

WASHINGTON: When Apple's original iPad was released around this time last year, the device not only created the biggest buzz in the tech world. It also defined a new category of gadget. But as enthusiastic as reviewers and early adopters of the device were, consistent criticisms surfaced as well.

The iPad's lack of USB or Ethernet ports and glossy screen were consistently cited as shortcomings, for example. .

Now, though, Apple is upping the ante again with the unveiling of iPad 2, due out in the US on March 11 and in other countries over the weeks that follow. Will the latest iPad solve the problems of the original or get you to want to hand over your hard-earned cash for one? Read on...

What's new

Apple has made the iPad 2 faster, thinner, lighter, more powerful, and more versatile than the original iPad. And it has done so while keeping the starting price -- at about $499 for a base model -- the same as the previous generation iPad.

Notable features are a dual-core processor at the heart of the device, which Apple claims is twice as fast as the previous iPad, more powerful graphics designed to do justice to fast-moving games, battery life that's better than the original iPad by about an hour, and, perhaps most interesting, two integrated cameras -- one on the front and one on the back.

The two cameras are there so that you can use the device for different purposes. The camera that faces you as you look into the iPad 2, for example, can be used to capture your image for the purposes of video chats or Skype video sessions. The other camera can be used as a more traditional movie or still camera. Point your iPad at something you want to film, and let it roll.

Apple has also taken note of the most useful accessory that owners of the previous generation procured for their device -- a cover for the screen -- and included one with the unit. It's not just any cover, however. It can be folded in upon itself several times and turned into a stand that makes the device easy to view while sitting on a desk or your lap.

The iPad2 also sports upgraded WiFi compatible, with the 802.11n as standard. 3G connectivity is also standard, for use with mobile carrier networks that support it.

Finally, the device's interface boasts features that iPhone 4 users enjoy like 'multi-touch' technology, which enables you to move and manipulate objects on the screen with your fingers in a very intuitive manner.

Does it fixes the shortcomings of the previous model

If you're talking about the original iPad's lack of a USB or Ethernet port, you'll have to keep waiting. Some also complained that the original iPad lacked a memory card slot. So does the iPad 2.

Complaints such as these are made by those worrying how they will connect the iPad to various data sources. Apple does sell an iPad Camera Connection kit, however, that allows you to import photos and videos from a digital camera using the camera's USB cable or an SD card.

Some also complained about the original iPad's screen, claiming that while it was fine for surfing the web, playing games, and viewing multimedia content, it was not as well suited to long periods of reading.

The same holds true for iPad 2, which has a backlit screen rather than the E Ink non-backlit screen that devices such as Amazon's Kindle sport. The iPad 2, in short, is less of an eReader than it is a general media consumption and creation device.

Perhaps even more disappointing, the iPad 2 does not even incorporate a larger version of the iPhone 4's 'retina display' technology, which renders graphics and text at a resolution so fine that the human eye cannot detect pixellation.

How much will the iPad 2 really cost?

With the base model of the iPad 2, you get WiFi connectivity and 16GB of memory; the next model up, with 32GB, will retail for around $100 more; the next higher model, with 64GB, will cost yet another $100.

There's another class of iPad 2, however, with both WiFi and 3G connectivity. This series starts at $629, again with more memory increasing the price by $100 each time.

You'll want the WiFi + 3G model if you wish to connect the device to information sources both at home and while on the road.

rEAD mORE: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/tech/personal-tech/computing/What-iPad-2-has-that-iPad-doesnt/articleshow/7645187.cms

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Review: Apple iPad 2

SAN FRANCISCO: With the original iPad, Apple brought an attractive, easy-to-use tablet computer to the masses at a reasonable price -- a feat numerous companies are trying to top.

With Friday's release of the iPad 2, Apple is pulling further ahead, with improvements that make an already excellent tablet even more enticing. It goes to show that when it comes to tablets, Apple refuses to be bested.

The new iPad is skinnier, faster and slightly lighter. It comes with cameras for video chatting and snapping photos, while keeping the same prices, ranging from $499 to $829 depending on the configuration.

Competitors such as Motorola Mobility Holdings Inc and Samsung Electronics Co sell good tablets of their own, with many of the same features. Motorola's new Xoom even has a higher-resolution screen than the iPad. Still, nobody has been able to match the iPad's simplicity, innovation and style.

The iPad 2 looks much like the first iPad, though it has a sleeker, lighter body with a curved back. All this helps the tablet fit more naturally in my hands, and the modified shape makes it easier to hold for extended e-reading sessions, for example.

Among the most noticeable changes is the inclusion of cameras, one on the front and one on the back. This is something I've been hankering for, as the iPad's crisp display, measuring 9.7 inches diagonally, seemed like the ideal canvas for video chat. The subsequent arrival of several tablets with front and rear cameras made it practically a necessity for iPad 2.

Fortunately, Apple thought so, too. Both cameras on the iPad 2 work with the company's FaceTime video chat application and the back camera shoots high-definition videos.

A friend I chatted with over FaceTime moved pretty smoothly on the iPad's screen, though the image could have been much sharper. With the front camera, my friend could see me. If I switched to the back camera, I could show him my surroundings.

You can take still photos, too, though I found this awkward given the tablet's size. The results were not fantastic, but self-portrait fans will find the front-facing camera useful for composing new profile photos for Facebook.

The new iPad has Apple's new dual-core A5 chip, which helped applications open more quickly than on the older iPad. The original never felt slow, but the faster I can start a new game of "Plants vs. Zombies," the better.

Add to that a new version of Apple's iOS software. The new processor and the new iOS combined to improve Web surfing, as I could load up pages noticeably faster over my home Wi-Fi network. As expected, videos loaded quickly and generally streamed flawlessly.

The new software allows you to share music and videos from your iTunes library on multiple Apple devices on the same Wi-Fi network. And it now lets you set the iPad's mute switch to function as a screen lock, which makes it even easier to prevent my Netflix movie from rotating mid-scene just because I've shifted my butt on the couch.

The updated iOS comes with iPad 2 and is available as a free download for the original iPad and the two most recent models of the iPhone and iPod Touch.

On Friday, Apple is also rolling out iPad versions of its iMovie video-editing software and GarageBand software for recording and editing music. I tried GarageBand ($5) and was wowed by how simple it was and how well it took advantage of the iPad's touch screen.

If you're musically inclined, you can pick up your guitar and adjust its sound through GarageBand's bevy of amplifiers and effects pedals. If you don't play an instrument (or feel lazy), you can swipe through a list of "smart" virtual instruments. A guitar with preset chords lets you strum by swiping the screen. You can arrange drums on a grid based on how noisy and complicated you want the beat to sound.

The coolest part is how sensitive the virtual instruments are. Start beating your fingers on a virtual drum kit, and you can hit the drums and cymbals harder or softer. You'll get different sounds if you hit the ride cymbal in different places, and you can even tap the rim of the snare instead of just hitting the drum itself.

It's quick and easy to record and edit songs, then save or email them to a friend (who will hopefully applaud your artistic endeavors).

When playing back my musical masterpiece and other content on the iPad 2 I did long for a second speaker -- there is just one on its back. Fortunately, that lone speaker did sound quite crisp, even with the sound turned all the way up.

Like the first iPad, the iPad 2 is rated for up to 10 hours of battery life, and it performed like a champ. Playing a mix of videos streamed from YouTube over Wi-Fi and saved on the iPad itself, I got a bit more than 10 hours of entertainment before it died.

You can buy versions that work with either AT&T's or Verizon Wireless' cellular network, rather than just AT&T before. The cheapest model connects only through Wi-Fi. You can also get it in black or white --before, your only option was black.

Read More: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/tech/personal-tech/gadgets-special/Review-Apple-iPad-2/articleshow/7669848.cms

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FarmVille maker to double India staff

BANGALORE: Zynga, the online game company behind the titles " FarmVille" and "Mafia Wars," and one of the hottest Web startups, said it is starting a game development studio in India and plans to double its staff there this year.

Zynga Studio I, to be based in the company's office in Bangalore, will be the firm's largest office outside the United States. The company plans to hire 100 workers this year, adding to the 100 who work there now.

Zynga has 1,500 employees around the world.

About half the new employees would be game developers, the people who do the actual "coding" of the games, said Colleen McCreary, the company's human resources chief.

Privately-held Zynga has attracted interest from investors eager to get a piece of a company they consider nearly as hot as online social networks Twitter and Facebook.

Many investors have been hoping these companies go public, though, so far, they have limited their investor base.

Zynga started its India office last year with developers who worked on the company's database that defines how users interact with the games they play online.

About 100 developers here work on Membase -- an open-source database application that Zynga uses -- to connect its 25 million users worldwide.

Thursday's announcement, made at a news conference in Bangalore, would make the fast-growing information technology hub a key part of game development.

Zynga saw creative talent in India, but found it to be more of a "niche sector" in the country, said Shan Kadavil, Zynga's India manager. Instead, he said, "we expect to tap creative development people from the Bollywood industry."

Among that talent is Dhimant Vyas, an animator who designed the title sequence for the hit Bollywood film "Taare Zameen Par" ("Stars on Earth") by director, producer and actor Aamir Khan.

Zynga's games have become popular on Facebook and other platforms, but the company is inching toward platform-independent games that people can play on mobile devices.

It also has been rolling out mobile versions of its games, hoping to keep users playing them longer.

Read more: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/tech/careers/job-trends/FarmVille-maker-to-double-India-staff/articleshow/7672423.cms

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