sensor

As rumors swirl about Apple's manufacturing partners kicking into high gear to produce the next version of the iPhone, a new report adds some more detail on what could be inside the new device.

The latest comes from Vietnamese site Tinhte, which says Apple's next iPhone (expected to be called the 5S) will sport a 12-megapixel camera. That's as compared to the 8-megapixel sensor found on both the iPhone 5 and 4S.

Now it wouldn't be unusual for Apple to make improvements to its camera, which it's done with each successive iPhone model. But the … Read more

Canon has developed a video sensor that can capture images illuminated only by a glowing incense stick or the light of a crescent moon.

The sensor gathers light by using extremely large pixels -- 7.5 times the surface area of those in the 18MP EOS-1D X professional SLR, whose 35mm full-frame sensor is the same size. In conjunction with that approach, "the sensor's pixels and readout circuitry employ new technologies that reduce noise, which tends to increase as pixel size increases," Canon said in its announcement. Check the link to watch Canon's sample video.

Canon … Read more

Researchers from the Institute of Computer Graphics at Johannes Kepler University in Linz, Austria, have developed a way to capture images on a flexible sheet of plastic. Unlike traditional image sensors that use circuits and other internal structures to develop an image, this new solution is fully transparent.

This is no ordinary sheet of plastic though. The sensor is a polymer film (luminescent concentrator) containing a multitude of fluorescent particles that absorb a specific wavelength of light. It then transmits this light at a longer wavelength to optical sensors at the side of the sheet, which captures it all, reconstructing … Read more

Apple wants to make a network out of physical objects so you can keep track of your things -- like your iPhone, keys, wallet-- or yourself.

The Cupertino, Calif., company has filed a patent for a "personal items network," that relies on movement-monitoring devices, according to a U.S. patent application published today.

The system would link items -- like a wallet, purse, personal data assistant, personal computer, watch, credit card, keys, and cell phone -- using sensors that can track and record changes in environment and condition. … Read more

A Ph.D. student at the University of Toronto is using the same transfer paper currently affixing temporary tattoos to kids -- in conjunction with a common screen-printing technique -- to develop a medical sensor that keeps tabs on a person's exertion by monitoring the skin's pH levels.

Similar devices, which are called ion-selective electrodes (ISEs), are already common among athletic trainers and medical researchers to help spot fatigue, dehydration, or even metabolic diseases. But they tend to be bulky and don't stick well to sweaty skin.

The new sensor stays put and doesn't look so, … Read more

Android smartphones make great personal media players, but because of the lock screen, pausing your music can take a few seconds. EasyMute is an Android app that allows you to quickly pause your music by simply putting your hand over the proximity sensor, even when your phone is locked.

Optionally, you can configure easyMute to lower the volume to a preset level. After installing easyMute, just tap the Enable easyMute button to turn it on.

EasyMute works with most Android music players, such as Google Music and even Pandora.

That's it. Keep in mind that, in order for easyMute … Read more

For those wondering why Apple did not include an ambient light sensor in its latest iPod Touch, a purported e-mail exchange between a top executive and a customer -- ahem -- shines some light on the subject.

Apple news site iDownloadBlog posts what it says is a back and forth between Apple Marketing Chief Phil Schiller and a customer talking about the lack of a sensor in Apple's recently released fifth-generation iPod model.

According to Schiller's message, which remains unconfirmed, the device is "just too thin" to fit one:

The ambient light sensor does just what … Read more

You're biking along, minding your own business. You reach an amazing downhill stretch. You pick up speed. You're really cranking along. Oh no! A hippopotamus wanders onto the trail! You swerve and end up faceplanting in the bushes.

Don't fear, your helmet will dial your emergency contacts and give your location. The ICEdot Crash Sensor is a stick-on sensor that mounts onto your helmet. It connects to your smartphone via Bluetooth. When it senses an impact, it sounds an alarm and starts a countdown clock on the crash sensor app. You have a set amount of time to turn it off.… Read more