Samsung introduces Tizen 3 0 along with the NX300M smart camera

Whether by design or by inadvertently not revealing it, Samsung announced during the weekend that the first Tizen powered device has already hit the market. It turns out that the Samsung NX300M camera runs on the Tizen Camera Platform which uses core Tizen technology. This was displayed on a slide presented at the Tizen Developer Conference by Samsung executive VP Jong-Deok Cho. The slide revealed that the Tizen Camera Platform allows the camera to boot up twice as fast as its Linux based competition. The 20MP snapper can also take 9 pictures a second.

As far as the long awaited Tizen powered smartphones are concerned, the first models are expected to launch in February of 2014. These units will have Tizen 2.2.1 installed while Tizen 3.0 should arrive in the third quarter of 2014. Tizen 3.0 will include enabling of multiple accounts and will feature 64 bit support. This version of Tizen will run on IA and ARM chips, offer performance improvements and allow handsets to come to market with more RAM. For developers, Tizen 3.0 will come with a 3D UI framework for better looking and better performing apps.

So much has been written about Tizen including one report earlier this year that the platform was almost dead. In addition, rumored launch dates never came to fruition. But now, Samsung itself is telling us that things are moving forward. Remember, this is the OS that could allow Samsung to step away from Android at some point in the future. Source

Read More..

Olympus E P1 Compact Interchangeable Lens Camera

Has someone come up with an acronym for the compact cameras with interchangeable lens? Maybe, say, DILC? Because the world has now another of such product in the market. Olympus PEN E-P1 follows Panasonic Lumix G1 and GH1 to be the next compact camera using the Micro Four-Thirds lens mount.

I had a quick play at Playworks/T3 office, recently shifted to Sunshine Plaza. Nifty biometric fingerprint security, so no worries about losing the pass, unless...

Generally, it feels like a compact camera, with the advantages of manual lens control and faster AF and shutter response, no different from the Lumix G1 that I reviewed extensively a few months back. The E-P1 supports up to 6400 ISO, and the highlights look rather clean. Whats lacking is the articulated screen and built-in flash. What I like is the Art Filter mode which you can select effects like Pop Art, Soft Focus, Pale & Light Color, Light Tone, Grainy Film or Pin Hole to capture great arty images. It makes image capturing a lot more fun.

I think compact interchangeable lens camera is the way to go. You get the compactness of a digicam and the responsiveness of a DSLR. The price may be prohibitive since a compact digicam costs half the price, and the E-P1 is priced not any lower than the lowest-end DSLR. So for now, such format camera will be a companion for the serious photographers and early adopters.

Quick specs:
- 12.3 megapixels Live MOS sensor
- 3" LCD screen
- HD (720p) video recording
- 3 fps

Read More..