Gadgetell | Tech News, Reviews, and Interesting Things

Believe it or not, I know many die-hard fans of the old Polaroid camera that were sad to see it go. Well, it looks like there just may be some cause for rejoicing if the new survey put out by Polaroid is any indication. They were recently asking for feedback from readers of Amateur Photographer to help design their new digital camera with built in printer.

Not too much is known at this point about the new camera other than the fact that like the Pogo Instant Mobile Printer, it will implement Bluetooth technology and a USB connection to print photos. Polaroid was asking opinions on whether they should include options such as an external battery, a hotshoe for an external flash, and a higher pixel count than their previous version.  One of the other differences between the PoGo Printer and the Polaroid PoGo ProSeries camera (as it is slated to be called) is the fact that the camera’s photos will print out at 4x3 as opposed to 2x3.

It is scheduled to hit the market next year and be marketed mainly to “professional and business users”. There is also going to be a lower-end (ie less expensive as well) ZINK-enabled camera that prints 2x3 inch prints coming out around the same time as well.

Via [Yahoo! Tech]

Supposedly confirmed as of a few days ago, however we are still awaiting official word from Canon on their newest baby, due any day now. Complete specs, (translated from Chinese) are here for the time being. Apparently there had been a big bru-ha-ha when a photo hit the internet apparently taken by the new Canon according to it’s metadata (and the info right on the web page itself), on what many believe to be a Media Temple client page. This being a big oops, since they are a web dev for high profile clients such as Sony, Adobe, ABC and others. The others, in some people’s mind’s, could include Canon. Thus, a page that had Canon photos which was leaked onto the net before it was discovered and subsequently password protected.

The Canon 50D is pictured here with what’s sure to be a kit lens option, the EF-S 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 IS lens. A short list of what is most likely going to be key features is as follows:

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Google is getting ready to launch their Street View technology in the UK, and it isn’t being met with open arms. Although the mapping tool is already in place in some major US cities, folks in the UK are protesting the implementation on their turf.  Street View works by taking photos of, logically enough, streets to match maps. However the photos also include any people on those streets. This is where the problems come in for the UK folk. They feel this is a blatant disregard for privacy; and that permission should be granted by any individual photographed since the pictures are being used in a commercial regard. 

Personally, I don’t see how Google is getting away with this. As a freelance photographer myself, I know that any photographs that I take (even in a public setting) must have release forms signed by each recognizable person in the photo, if I am to be using them in any way for profit. (They even consider a person to be “recognizable” if the photo only shows the back of them for the record.) Apparently, Privacy International, a UK rights group, agrees. They believe the technology clearly breaks data protection laws. 

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Based on some recently surfaced images it looks like Verizon will be the latest carrier to offer the widely popular Palm Centro. We have been seeing the blue Palm Centro turn up a few times recently, the first was in those on-line Centro user guides from Palm and based on those most people speculated it would turn up as an unlocked GSM model. That turned out to be untrue as we recently saw Mexican carriers Movistar and Telcel announce its availability.

With that it would have been safe to assume that we would not be seeing it land in the US anytime soon, luckily for Verizon customers it looks like they will soon be getting the blue Centro as well. The Centro, while still unannounced is expected to be available soon.

Keep reading for a backside pic of the blue Centro…

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At the moment all we have to bring you are pictures of what appears to be the latest DSLR from Pentax, the K200D. The picture seems to have been posted on a Germany PR companies site that works for Pentax, so chances are this is the real deal.

I like the form factor, especially the grip connector. The forums are buzzing with what the possible features will include, particularly if it will be weather sealed or not. Time will tell of course but it does look pretty cool.

Via [Pocket Lint]

Now that we have our hands on both a Verizon and Sprint Treo 700p we figured we might as well try to get our hands on some accessories and take our turn with some of the great Palm/Access programs. Up first is the Vaja i-Volution T7 case for the Treo 700--w or p.

Upon opening the box the smell of rich leather engulfed my office. The case is designed with the highest craftsmanship and quality in mind, they certainly pay attention to detail. The case has a hard structure protecting the body of the Treo but unfortunately leaves the screen unguarded. The case also has a very strong belt-clip and built in rivet. The best part is that these cases are completely customizable...check out the options at Vaja.

See the rest of the peep show.

With a broad range of available and feature-rich multimedia devices, with similar capabilities, it comes as somewhat of a shock that a new multimedia product has somehow managed to surpass the mundane and ordinary and capture our attention. The MegaP.I.M.P (6 MegaPixel Integrated Media Player) is a brand new multimedia player with a built in 6.0 mega pixel CMOS sensor camera capable of high quality video and voice recording. Although, the Mega P.I.M.P isn’t exactly a divine species in the looks category, the 2.5 inch TFT screen is an added bonus to the ultra slim, palm-sized and lightweight gadget. It’s a gadget perfect for sliding into your pocket or handbag—something not unlike an iPod on steroids.

Already equipped with 128MB of internal memory, the manufacturer has taken pains to include an extra SD slot that supports an added 2GB of memory. Why the extra memory? Well, why not? Let’s be user specific. If you’re on some kind of covert operation say, spying on your wife’s conversation with the alpha male of a different pack (ignore the disjointed humor)—the last thing you want is a black screen with “memory card is full” printed in the upper left corner. Although, it isn’t exactly a species of divine proportions and style. Oh and, don’t worry about batteries—they’re rechargeable and don’t worry about converting your pictures—they’re already in JPG picture format. The price is fair--approximately $240.00.

What’s left to say?
PIMP it playa’!

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