Just because Nokia stopped making phones, doesn’t mean it hasn’t been busy. First apps and tablets , and now it’s getting into the VR game with a new 360-degree camera called Ozo .
The device mixes footage and audio from eight image sensors and an equal amount of microphones. As the camera uses a global shutter for each sensor, the distortion seen during quick motion in many modern cameras (which use rolling shutters) should be nonexistent.
The camera’s software allows you to preview 3D footage in real-time, a big step forward compared to the time consuming stitching process normally needed for this type of immersive video content.
It’s important to keep in mind this is not intended to be a consumer camera – Nokia is aiming the device at professionals. The Verge reports that it’s expected to cost upward of $5,000.
The company says final specs and pricing will be announced at a later date, with shipments expected to begin during Q4 2015.
Nokia is just one of several companies making the move to VR. In fact, it’s first partner to use Ozo will be Jaunt , a company already focused on creating VR experiences , and with a camera of its own. Google also launched its own VR camera array in partnership with GoPro at its IO conference earlier this year.
➤ Nokia Ozo
Read next: Google goes big on virtual experiences with Expeditions, Jump and a GoPro partnership
Sonos sends out invites to a mystery event on August 30
Sonos is getting ready to announce… something.
The company today sent out a cryptic invite to an event in late August in New York:
Sonos is remaining tight lipped about what it plans to reveal. Given the “future of sound at home” and “it’s all connected” line, it sounds more like an upgrade to the softwaer or even the platform as a whole.
The company did just open up huge store in NYC last month – one of the coolest tech shops I’ve ever been to – where I learned it’s focusing on branching out and reaching a wider audience in the coming years. We wouldn’t be surprised to see this announcement follow in that thread.
Stay tuned to TNW for more once the day rolls by.
Leaked Galaxy S8 prototype shows the dual-camera phone it could have been
The Galaxy S8 is by all indications a pretty great smartphone, but Samsung didn’t do much with the rear camera this time around. That doesn’t mean it wasn’t thinking about it though: a leaked prototype shows a version of the Galaxy S8 plus sporting a dual camera setup.
The images, shared by KK on Weibo – a leaker with a solid track record – shows off two cameras in a vertical arrangement (like the new iPhone is rumored to have) in a body otherwise very similar to the final model. Curiously, this prototype doesn’t have a fingerprint sensor – this may have been from when Samsung was allegedly still looking to implement the feature under the front glass.
Samsung told The Verge it “had not found real value” for a dual camera setup yet, so decided to forego the feature. I’d beg to differ – the dual camera setups on the LG G6, iPhone 7 Plus, and Huawei P10 allow for a lot more flexibility than any singular camera can.
In fact, I’d argue phone cameras are so good nowadays that generational improvements are beginning to suffer from diminishing returns (there’s a reason Samsung didn’t highlight any upgrades to the rear camera this year). So perhaps a dual-camera setup on the Note 8, Samsung?
Via The Verge