If your shiny new 4K Ultra-HD OLED TV with HDR technology and so forth is still just too low-rez for you, well, Sharp has an $133,000 8K solution for you, but what to watch on it? It’s not like anyone is broadcasting 8K these days, outside of some special NHK test programs in Japan. So what to do? Shoot your own 8K content of course, which means you’ll need this: the RED Weapon camera with the new Monstro 8K V V sensor.
And what do you get for your $80,000 dollars? Well, the new sensor is capable of 17-plus stops of dynamic range and you can pull 35.4 megapixel stills from the footage for wall-sized prints. Very handy. And if Spielberg rings you up to shoot his latest cinematic epic, you’ll be all set.
The latest Red Weapon 8K wondercam is set to come out in 2018, so get your deposit in now before the tech ends up in a smartphone for $900 a few years from now.
That didn’t escalate quickly
Hey Windows Phone users, we’ve got some bad news. Looks like Microsoft is transitioning the OS from an active product to something… nearly dead and buried.
According to a tweet from a WinPhone and Microsoft guy, bug fixes and security updates will continue to be applied to the mobile OS that just never caught on, but new features and apps aren’t coming anytime soon. There was just never was enough momentum behind the OS to build an app universe that came anywhere near what Apple and Android offered, so the end is near. Heck, even Bill Gates uses an Android phone now.
But hey, for what it’s worth, your Windows Phone will probably run on Android, so there’s hopefully still some life left in that handset you’ve bonded with. Check out these tips on switching over.
Don’t show it Cujo
Speaking of old things that have been given a new lease on life, guess who’s back? Yep, it’s our favorite robot dog, Aibo.
According to the Nikkei Asian Review, Sony is spooling Aibo production back up after an 11 year-long dog nap. What’s changed since 2006, when Aibo was sent out to the farm for unwanted robot dogs? A LOT. Namely, artificial intelligence and smart home hubs. Think a robot dog with AI roaming around your home sounds like a good idea? We do, and so does Sony. Sure beats that fabric-covered-can-on-a-table idea so many other companies think is the new design triumph.
The Review says the resurrected Aibo is part of a larger push into home and industrial robotics from Sony. Sony already has decades of robotics development under their belt with the humanoid Asimo robot, so we’re hoping once Aibo gets accepted into millions of homes, Asimo won’t be far behind, because the laundry is really stacking up.
We’ve got more news on our Facebook page and YouTube channel, and be sure to tune in to this week’s DT podcasts: Close to the Metal (computers and such) on Tuesday, Trends with Benefits (general tech shenanigans) on Thursdays, and Between the Streams (movie and TV topics) every Friday.
