Sony unveils NEX-EA50EH pro camcorder with nary a dog or pony (video)

Sony is continuing to build out its NXCAM video camera line with the new interchangeable lens NEX-EA50EH, a surprise entrant that's aimed firmly at the run and gun professional crowd. It sports the same APS-C Exmor CMOS sensor as other cameras in the NEX line, and has notably added a rocker-style zoom lever for its brand new SEL18-200PZ 11x E-mount Servo Zoom Lens. That item is one of the first large sensor servo zooms we've seen, and packs continuous variable isis, auto focus and "Optical Steady Shot" active image stabilization. Another eyebrow-raiser is the model's still photo flair, with the ability to shoot 16MP RAW stills, a mechanical shutter with its own release button and a flash hot-shoe all squeezed in. Video is recorded up to 60fps at 1080P in AVCHD 2.0, presumably at 28 or 17 Mbps, toSD/SDHC/SDXC cards, Sony Memory Sticks or Sony's dedicated external SSD unit, which attaches to the camera. All that is topped off by an onboard shotgun microphone, a shoulder mount form factor and $4,500 price point (which has already changed twice on B&H). That means a lot of event or ENG pros who want large sensor results -- without all the DSLR foibles -- may be sorely tempted. See the PR and video after the break for all the details.

[Source: Engadget]

Sky Sports TV app for Android now available, brings live events to the UK and Ireland

Not to be outdone by The Worldwide Leader in Sports, Sky's just released its own application to keep football enthusiasts entertained while on the go -- at least Premier League fans using Android slabs. Unlike the ESPN app, however, Sky Sports is charging £5 (around $8) per month for its offering, though it will -- with the help of ESPN, no less -- stream over 100 EPL matches live, so you're not limited to only highlights and previews. That being said, Sky Sports TV also lets UK and Ireland folks watch other sporting events, including F1 races, PGA Golf and tennis events like the US Open. The bad news is the app currently doesn't support Jelly Bean-loaded devices, which, for now, will most likely only affect atiny section of Mountain View's user base -- if that's not you, though, the link to download is down below.

[Source: Engadget]

Instagram 3's new Photo Maps feature adds location to your photo stories

Instagram 3.0, the free photo sharing app for iPhone, is available and provides a number of enhancements. The most impressive is the new Photo Maps feature.

By grabbing geolocation information that is saved with each photo, Instagram creates a world map of your images by location. As you zoom in on each location, say Florida for example, you see locations in that state, then in each city.

You can add new photos to your Photo Maps through the new photo upload screen, which features a prominent Add to your Photo Maps button. Instagram has also increased the length of the captions you can add to each photo, and provides a way to name a location.

[Source: TUAW]

LaCie's eSATA Thunderbolt Hub pushes data transfer to the max

The move from traditional I/O options toward Thunderbolt across the Mac line (with the notable exception of the Mac Pro) has meant some headscratching moments for users of high-end storage. Buying all-new Thunderbolt-ready RAIDs isn't an option for those on a budget, especially when there may be big investments already in eSATA-connected equipment.

As more Thunderbolt peripherals and accessories have made it to market, this conundrum is beginning to clear. LaCie's eSATA hub Thunderbolt Series, at $199, delivers eSATA performance and convenience for high-end video and graphics users at a price that's not out of balance.

[Source: TUAW - Read the full story]

Apple files plans for Oregon data center

The Apple Oregon data center is moving closer to reality. Apple has filed formal plans with the city of Prineville, and it looks like Apple will build a 500,000-square-foot facility. It's likely the data center will serve the Apple app stores and iCloud.

The plan shows two buildings with more than 500,000 square feet of what are described as 'data halls,' The Bend Bulletin reported Wednesday. The plan doesn't say when Apple might start building.

"They really didn't say how long they are looking at," Prineville senior planner Joshua Smith said.

An Apple spokeswoman, Kristin Huguet, referred Wednesday to the company's early statements on the development, which forecast "hiring dozens of people and bringing hundreds of construction jobs to the area" but didn't set a construction schedule." The two data centers will be neighbors across the street from the other.

[Source: TUAW]

Apple’s new set-top box to feature DVR-like media access and iPad-like icon interface

Going away from the constant rumors that Apple is building its own TV set, yesterday evening the Wall Street Journal reported that Apple is in talks with cable television operators to use an Apple TV device as a set-top-box. Adding to yesterday’s report, the publication has shared another note today with more details of Apple’s vision for the new device. This evening’s report mentions is that Apple is looking to introduce a feature that will allow users to view a TV show at any time, even minutes after it has begun. iCloud DVR has a nice ring to it.

The Cupertino, Calif.-based company proposes giving viewers the ability to start any show at any time through a digital-video recorder that would store TV shows on the Internet. Viewers even could start a show minutes after it has begun. Time Warner Cable Inc. offers a limited version of this feature called Start Over.

Furthermore, Apple is said to be working on a redesigned interface for the set-top box that is more in-line with the icon interface of the iPad. In recent months, users have begun to express their concern over the Apple TV’s UI, saying that the menus are confusing and calling the interface clunky. Social media features may also be added, allowing users to easily share thoughts on TV shows and movies.

[Source: 9to5Mac - Read more here]

Google's Voice Search on Android adds support for 13 additional languages

Even though it's also on iOS now, Android is still the first love for Google's Voice Search and the company announced today it's adding support for an additional 13 languages on the platform, bringing the total to 42 languages and accents understood in 46 countries. The list includes Basque, Bulgarian. Catalan, European Portuguese, Finnish, Galician, Hungarian, Icelandic, Norwegian, Romanian, Serbian, Slovak and Swedish. Just like it has since at least 2010 when Voice Actions were introduced it will require Android 2.2 or higher, and is easily accessible either from the search box on your home screen or in the Voice Search app. We should note that it still only understands one language at a time and you may need to change some settings, also the new languages weren't showing up yet on every device we tried -- just some of them. Hit the source link for a few more details on how machine learning was used to extrapolate the pronunciation of all Swedish words based on thousands of samples from native speakers, or just grab a nearby phone or tablet and have Pau Gasol speak some Catalan to it -- although obviously Salvador Dali would be preferred, were he available.

[Source: Engadget]

Amazon recruits 5,000 UK corner stores for CollectPlus delivery service (update)

Convenience stores, cornershops, newsagents, call them what you will -- nearly 5,000 local businesses in the UK have now been signed up by Amazon to receive and look after its customers' precious packages. The "CollectPlus" scheme is currently on trial but The Telegraph reports it's expected to roll out across Britain, where it'll add one more delivery option for those who -- for their own strange and inexplicable reasons -- are rarely at home between 9am and 5pm.

Update: We've just heard from CollectPlus that it should be now be available as a delivery option at checkout, and equally Marketplace sellers can select it as a mode of delivery.

[Source: Engadget]

Twitter's API v1.1 rules put user caps on third party clients, exert more control overall

Last spring an announcement from the platform team at Twitter not-at-all-subtly suggested developers of third party clients should find something else to do, and today a list of changes to its API turns that whisper into a firm nudge. The limit that most directly affects any of the unofficial clients you may be interested in using is that existing apps currently servicing more than 100,000 individual user tokens will be allowed to double their current count, but cannot add any users past that without Twitter's permission. Going forward, any app that needs more than 100,000 tokens to do things like access the timeline, show DMs or anything else a client app might do will also need Twitter's permission to operate. Other changes include that any pre-installed client app on something like a phone, computer, or TV will need Twitter's permission before it ships (sensing a trend here?), or potentially face revocation of its application key. Moving on, the Display Guidelines about the information any app that displays tweets must provide are shifting to Display Requirements, with violators potentially losing that application key. Those Twitter Cards that started rolling out over the last few months are also getting a big push, with plans to include other ways for developers to bring their rich content to Twitter, and embed real-time Twitter content on existing websites.

[Source: Engadget]

Facebook starts really, truly deleting removed photos

For those who haven't kept track, Facebook has had a years-long history of only maybe-sort-of-more-or-less purging our photos: they could be removed from a profile, but they would sometimes float around the site's content delivery networks for months or years, just waiting for a prospective employer to spot those embarrassing frosh week snapshots by accident. As Ars Technica discovered through experiments and official remarks, that problem should now be solved. In the wake of a months-long photo storage system migration and an updated deletion policy, Facebook now won't let removed photos sit for more than 30 days in the content network stream before they're scrubbed once and for all. The improved reaction time isn't as rapid as for a service like Instagram, where photos vanish almost immediately, but it might be a lifesaver for privacy advocates -- or just anyone who's ever worn a lampshade on their head in a moment of insobriety.

[Source: Engadget]

Are Retina MacBooks displaying screen issues?

If a 56-page discussion thread on the Apple Support forums is any indication, there appears to be a problem with some MacBook Pros with Retina displays. The Retina displays with the issues show image retention and burn-in; others do not.

TUAW reader Joe K. sent us a note about the issue, which appears to be happening to MBPs with displays manufactured by LG; other displays made by Samsung don't have the problem with image retention and burn-in, are brighter, and seem to display colors with more accuracy.

To determine the make of the Retina display installed in your MacBook Pro, Joe supplied a helpful terminal command:

ioreg -lw0 | grep \"EDID\" | sed "/[^<]*</s///" | xxd -p -r | strings -6

It's basically the same command seen on OSXDaily to check for LG screens on MacBook Airs, which will also tell you how you know if you have a Samsung or LG display. If your display code begins with "LP," it's an LG display. Mike Rose has verified that with his LG panel he sees faint ghosting of Finder windows when he goes into a PowerPoint slideshow with a gray background.

Those who own a MacBook Pro with Retina display and see this problem as described in the thread should contact their local Apple Store or AppleCare for resolution.

[Source: TUAW]

Site tracks growing list of retina Mac apps

Do you have a Retina MacBook Pro, wondering which apps are going to look their best on the massive amount of glossy pixels before you? Well, Microsoft might not be ready, but quite a few developers have updated their apps, and those are showing up on Retina Mac Apps. It's a simple site with a simple purpose: to show you which apps are ready for the big (resolution) screen.

[Source: TUAW]