Facebook to add “face detection” for photo tagging
Facebook will soon add face detection technology to its photo sharing to make it easier to tag your friends on photographs you put online. Similar to digital cameras who can locate faces automatically, Facebook will now pre-select faces and you have only to answer “Who is this?” to tag your friends in albums large and small.
I have to admit when I first read this story I thought that Facebook was going to automatically suggest the name for each person, which I have to say, freaked me out. I’m sure it isn’t far behind (my iPhoto does it now), but somehow the thought of Facebook “knowing” my face from all the millions of faces in its system was a little disturbing.
Fortunately it’s nothing so sophisticated, but it is still probably a little useful.
Magnetic Fun
I don’t know about other people but I’m a fan of being in pictures. Unfortunately I’m also usually the one who has a camera on me, and there’s not always a kindly flat surface for me to set a self timer on. Well that’s all about to change.
The Gorillapod Magnetic is kind of like a funky (and magnetic) bendable tripod that lets you balance your camera just about anywhere. It’s only $25 and this means the camera carrier can be in more profile pics. The trick is the Gorillapod is really only designed for small point and shoots, not cameras of the bulkier variety. But this kind of camera placer is really for the point and shoot crowd anyway.
Lensbaby adds creativity to your DSLR
Lensbaby offers specialty lenses to add some really cool options for your photography.
The Muse option lets you literally bend or squeeze the lens to change your focus. The Composer gives similar freedom of selective focus but with a ball and socket configuration. Finally for tabletop and macro photography, the Control Freak lets you compress and bend the lens to find your desired Sweet Spot and lock it into place.
They also offer various optics you can add to other lenses for effects such as fisheye or pinhole camera photographs.
Lady Gaga is Polaroid’s creative director
Polaroid is poised to make a comeback. The return of instant photography is being spearheaded by Lady Gaga who was recently appointed as creative director for the Polaroid brand.
According to the company’s website:
The new Polaroid 300 ($89.99) is the first of many new products to let you enjoy that classic instant photograph feeling. Ten-packs of (*gasp*) film will sell for $9.99.
Controlled Gift
Target has once again taken the gift card to the next level. After last years digital camera style card this year they’ve brought the card back down to the kiddies.
This year’s card looks like a piece of cheese and works to control a tiny Santa dressed mouse. The card doesn’t come for less than $25 but it’s definitely a card that (once cleaned out) you’ll certainly want the cashier to give back.
Camera Training
Who ever heard of a digital camera under $20? Who ever heard of a digital camera plus accessories under $20? Well that’s just what Thrumaster’s is offering the public.
The camera quality will be lacking but if you’re looking to introduce a little one to the magic of filters and telephoto lenses this may just be the best way to start. The camera is cute and kid friendly and comes with a nice set of color filters as well as a telephoto and wide angle lens. Not bad for $20.
How Things Work
Confused by how technology works, and digital cameras specifically? Columbia University wants to help you and (more specifically) your kids out.
The Big Shot Digital Camera kit will be a box of all the parts needed for a kid to build there own simple digital camera. If you know how to put it together odds are you’ll know a little bit more about how it works as well. No word on when or if Columbia will bring this eccentric little Christmas gift to market, but I’d totally buy one.
Instant Gratification
It’s back! That’s right, we were all super depressed when Polaroid went off the market but nostalgia will relaunch the camera coming in 2010.
There will only be a limited number of One Step Cameras released, but it’s better than nothing. Both color and black and white film cameras will be made available. At the same time the Polaroid 2 is likely to announced. A digital version (supposedly) of the classic camera. We’ll have to see what happens.
Fun Faces
We’re so into pixels and digital images now we tend to forget the fun simplicity of things like the Polaroid and the i-zone (which printed pictures on stickers). Well now there’s a new fun alternative design to photography.
The Punch Camera takes a photo and prints it out as dots punched out of paper. No ink is required. Featured at the Intel University Design Expo I’m totally intrigued. We’re not all looking to be professional photographers; we just want facebook profile pics and fun. Well, this sounds pretty fun to me.
Back to Basics
We’ve made cameras disposable, accesorizable, and shiny. Now, at least in the design world, there’s another type to keep a watch on.
The OneShot Camera is just that. A simple lipstick sized digital point and shoot. It would come without an LCD display and without a memory card slot. So basically what you buy would be what you get. What do you get beyond a miniscule device? Simple charging, just shake the thing (like you would a bottle of orange juice) to recharge. Storage capability will make a huge difference, but I can see a market for this thing.
