 | Bill Emmerling operates 'the Rescue Tech' out of the Homer Cole Community Center at 3003 N. Joplin, Pittsburg. A 'CompTIA A+' and 'Network+' certified technician, Bill has serviced computers since the 1980s in a variety of environments including homes, schools, offices and retail operations for over 20 years. Bill may be reached at info@the-Rescue-Tech.com or by phone at 620-308-6448. |
Consumer Products
2012-11-19 11:55:49
Gadget gift idea for him
Q- With Christmas coming, what new tech gadgets are coming that I could get my gadget happy hubby?
A- Probably the most interesting item I have seen this year is the ‘Lytro camera’ found at https://www.lytro.com/ . This camera is deceiving in appearance, appearing as a simple rectangular cube, yet holding a real change in consumer camera technology. The marvel of this camera is that after the picture is taken, the viewer can change the focus of the picture.
The Lytro uses light-field technology to record the image, and when viewed, uses special software to allow you to change to the point of focus of the photograph. People and objects which appear fuzzy in the background can now be seen clearly by changing the point of focus, AFTER the photo is taken. Suppose you go to the Grand Canyon and take a picture of your kids on the rim. You of course focus on your children; however, you now have the option to view the Canyon in more detail later.
This camera is designed to take interactive pictures. In other words, it is designed to share via your computer, but gives your viewers opportunity through Flash based plug-ins on Facebook and websites to interact with your picture, looking at objects at differing distances. It is possible to export or print pictures with computer software to standard JPG picture format. The software also provides the ability to chose which object(s) you want to focus on before exporting/printing (though they don’t recommend printing large versions of the pictures).
To get a feel for the kind of pictures it takes check the gallery at www.lytro.com/living-pictures. The Lytro camera is available through Target, Best Buy, Amazon and Lytro.com for starting at $400.
