news | articles | reviews | software | modules | accessories | discussion | faq | mobile | store
VisorCentral.com >> Discussion >> Visor Related >> Springboard Modules
Eyemodule2 Available!

Post a New Thread | Post A Reply

Pages (7): « 1 2 [3] 4 5 6 7 »   Last Thread   Next Thread
Author
Topic: Eyemodule2 Available!    Pages (7): « 1 2 [3] 4 5 6 7 »
Usonian
Member

Registered: Feb 2000
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Posts: 165

hmmmm

Having a matchbook drive would definitely be a plus with the eyemodule 2... and it could be argued that it's better to keep the expanded storage and camera modules separate, so that we don't run into the same problem as Vaporgear's MiniJam long-promised, never-delivered functionality for storing e-books, etc. on their proprietary-formatted MMC cards.

I find myself having the same knee-jerk reaction as I did when the first eyemodule was released; $199 seems like an awful lot for a cam that only does 640x480 without a flash. But, I eventually bought an eyemodule 1 and it spends most of its time in the springboard slot, so it probably won't be long before I'm lusting for the new one. Time to check what the going price of Eyemodule 1's are on e-bay... I'd probably trade up to an eyemodule 2 if I can get enough for my current one.

As for flash, I'm wondering how hard it would be to rig something up that would activate an external flash whenever you pushed the eyemodule shutter button... not terribly compact, but an interesting idea.

In any event, I would also like to see some low-light examples from the eyemodule 2; does it pepper the image with white static pixels like the em 1? How light-sensitive is the unit overall compared to the original? The focus definitely looks better. Hopefully we'll get to see some non-Blocks Products images on eyebrowse when the unit goes on sale.

-Andy

__________________
<br>"Form follows function - that has been misunderstood. Form and function should be one, joined in a spiritual union" -Frank Lloyd Wright

Usonian is offline Old Post 02-12-2001 10:29 PM
Click Here to See the Profile for Usonian Edit/Delete Message Reply w/Quote
namtastic
Member

Registered: Oct 2000
Location:
Posts: 12

Re: hmmmm

quote:
Originally posted by Usonian
In any event, I would also like to see some low-light examples from the eyemodule 2; does it pepper the image with white static pixels like the em 1? How light-sensitive is the unit overall compared to the original? The focus definitely looks better. Hopefully we'll get to see some non-Blocks Products images on eyebrowse when the unit goes on sale.


Exactly what I was thinking. I'd rather see an improvement here instead of in resolution.

I'd also like to know if the eyedrop and eyemodule app improvements are going to be made available to the em1 users...

namtastic is offline Old Post 02-12-2001 10:36 PM
Click Here to See the Profile for namtastic Edit/Delete Message Reply w/Quote
corb
Member

Registered: Jul 2000
Location: austin, texas
Posts: 61

no FLASH?!
no ZOOM?!
no MEMORY?!

don't these people read visorcentral???

__________________
i CAN spell, i just don't have time...

corb is offline Old Post 02-12-2001 10:47 PM
Click Here to See the Profile for corb Edit/Delete Message Reply w/Quote
Brajesh108
Member

Registered: Nov 2000
Location:
Posts: 61

EM 1 software upgrade?

Ok, I have an EM 1, and some have said that the EM 2 stores pics as JPEGS which use less room than the standard on the EM1. My question is:

Can Ideo make a patch for the EM1 that will allow us old custies to save our lower res color pics in a more memory-friendly way? This would add value to the EM1 and justify what is still a steep price even with a discount for a 320-240 res camera and prolong the shelf life a bit. Then I would be happy to buy a EM3 in say a year that has built -in storage for even $300 if it still had a small form factor. The EM2 @$200 is getting awfully close to a nice 1.3 megapixel Olympus for $300, which would be my choice if I upgrade right now. I have my EM1 for that unplanned photo already, the EM2 doesn't really fill the gap between a polaroid and an SLR in my opinion.

Please don't neglect your customer base, Ideo, or you may find it eroding away.

__________________
Once in a while you get shown
the light....

Brajesh108 is offline Old Post 02-13-2001 01:27 AM
Click Here to See the Profile for Brajesh108 Edit/Delete Message Reply w/Quote
acajigas
Member

Registered: Mar 2000
Location: NYC
Posts: 287

Anybody knows which one has better resolution, PalmPix or EM2?

Thanks

Al

__________________
It all started way back in February 2000 with a Blue VDX.

acajigas is offline Old Post 02-13-2001 03:44 AM
Click Here to See the Profile for acajigas Edit/Delete Message Reply w/Quote
bkbk
Member

Registered: Jun 2000
Location:
Posts: 594

quote:
Originally posted by corb
no FLASH?!
no ZOOM?!
no MEMORY?!
don't these people read visorcentral???



I'm sure they do, as they've incorporated almost all of the features I've asked for -- esp. video!
Thanks IDEO, it's obvious you haven't been goofing off for the past yr. (it's even LESS than 1 yr. after EM1, no?)
(Yeah, the video's short, "mini," memory-hogging -- but it's there! Even 15 sec. of Rodney King's beating would likely have resulted in the same 4.5M verdict for him [was that the sum?] & revealing the LAPD for what they are for the rest of us.)
C'mon, folks, I share your mini-gripes & concerns & "unfulfilled wishes" -- but this thing is a slam-dunk. It'll fuel sales of the Prism like nobody's biz., raise their stock (buy some NOW!) -- esp. w/the PwrPt Presentations Viewer, also announced today; and I only wish I could buy some IDEO stock (they're not publicly-held, are they?).
Even most PktPC models CAN'T do pix OR video ... CAN YOUR PKT PC DO THAT? I DON'T THINK SO!



P.S. I think PalmPix has the same res. as EM2 -- but no video!

I think the CCD has greater low-light capacity now, so a flash should be less-needed.

Folks, it's not perfect (and I think some of you know I'm more than willing to criticize a co. that's been goofing off on the job) ... but, what is it? 90% there?
Let's be thankful for what we've got.

bkbk is offline Old Post 02-13-2001 04:06 AM
Click Here to See the Profile for bkbk Edit/Delete Message Reply w/Quote
the_zerox
Member

Registered: Nov 2000
Location:
Posts: 17

on board memory

I really thought I would be purchasing an EM2, what no onboard memory, OH well I guess it is an EM3 for me- morons and they still want $200 for it.

the_zerox is offline Old Post 02-13-2001 04:44 AM
Click Here to See the Profile for the_zerox Edit/Delete Message Reply w/Quote
LaoTzim
Member

Registered: Dec 2000
Location: Olympia, WA
Posts: 16

Unhappy Trade-In or EM3, Their Choice

I bought the EM and have been quite pleased, given my expectations of it being a rather expensive toy. I was unaware of the EM2 or the rebate program that started a day after I bought it online from Staples (saved $25 with that, and it looks like my $50 rebate request is going through anyway - crossing fingers & toes - for about half off!) So, at this point, I'll settle with the toy until Ideo/Blocks comes up with a trade-in program or comes out with an onboard-memory-expandable, natively uploadable and e-mailable (why pay $15 for what should be included, like eyecontact is?) EM3. Are you lurking, nice developer-people?

__________________
"So God created evil so that we'd all be really impressed when he fixed it? Sounds like Microsoft."
- dick-richardson

LaoTzim is offline Old Post 02-13-2001 06:03 AM
Click Here to See the Profile for LaoTzim Edit/Delete Message Reply w/Quote
DBrown
Member

Registered: Jan 2001
Location: Midwest
Posts: 232

I've got all sorts of other ways to get images onto my PC (scanner, webcam, dedicated digital camera), so having pictures larger that the Visor's screen resolution is kind of a waste to me. The only time people ask to see my eyemodule pictures is when I'm nowhere near my PC, but always with my Visor. Unless an eyemodule can REPLACE my dedicated 2 megapixel digital camera, I don't need the extra resolution. Keep upping the pixels, IDEO.

The tilted lens will be a good improvement if you've ever seriously tried taking someone's portrait with EM1's straight ahead lens. A pivoting lens would have been a GREAT improvement. Looking straight back at you, the preview mode would have been a great way to make sure your hair was combed and there was no corn in your teeth.

Is it still a fixed-focus lens? If they'd added a focus ring, or even a 2 or 3 postition focus switch (near or macro, normal, distant) I'd have bought one in a flash. I want to take (very)CLOSEUPS.

Zoom, anyone?

If it's a CCD instead of the EM1's CMOS, it "might" provide better low light images. I'll believe it when I see them, though. My Sony camera takes movies in NO LIGHT (0 lux), but they aren't worth watching. A flash, or even the ability to add a flash should have been a feature. I remember old cameras that had flash cubes you'd mount on top. The cubes were cheap, and you could take 4 flash pictures with each before throwing them out. How about bring back that technology, maybe? No batteries required. They were explosive flashes, I think.

Where's the tripod mount I asked for? I'd love to take time-lapse pictures, then make a mini-movie out of them. I just don't want to have to hold my visor in the same position all that time. A tripod mount, near the low end of the module, would have been easy. The circuit board could have simply wrapped around it. An offset mount could have been included to allow you to actually mount your tripod beneath the visor's perfect center of gravity. I made one (an offset mount)for my poorly balanced Sony camera for about 15 cents. Easy.

What they did right? Kept it pocketable. Tilted the lens (at least a little). Switched to CCD. Put more useful software right on the module.

Could it have been better? You bet.

What else would be nice to do with your EM1 or EM2? How about an LCD picture frame that has a springboard slot on the back. If the EMs had on-module memory where pictures were stored, then slipping the camera into such a picture frame could start a slide show of the images you'd captured. I'd want one!

How about Video-out? 640x480 is great resolution to view on a TV. Even 320x240 looks good. That's what VideoCD resolution is. Better yet, include a Visor cradle with TV out. Set atop your TV, the visor might pass video thru it's sync buss. Just park your Visor/EM in this cradle, and watch your EM pictures on TV. While they're at it, an IR remote control would have been great too. Both for TAKING pictures remotely, and viewing them on TV remotely. Though the Visor's IR port has limited sending range, it can "see" IR commands sent from stronger remotes. The "Presenter-to-Go" folks think so, at least.

IDEO... You can have all these ideas. Just send me an EM3 that encorporates them in exchange. Deal?

Dave

__________________
There is nothing yet made by man that cannot be improved upon.

DBrown is offline Old Post 02-13-2001 06:20 AM
Click Here to See the Profile for DBrown Edit/Delete Message Reply w/Quote
SLCVisor
Member

Registered: Sep 2000
Location:
Posts: 3

Exclamation Eyemodule Resolution

Do not believe the "higher resolution" claims on the EyeModule.

From what the www.eyemodule.com site is showing on their sample images, the resolution of the images has not changed. The images are still only a 72dpi resolution.

The image size has increased, but the resolution is still the same. If you are thinking that the resolution of the images taken by an EyeModule are anywhere near a digital camera, you are mistaken.

(Just a note from a user who would *love* a true high-resolution version of the EyeModule!)

SLCVisor is offline Old Post 02-13-2001 03:24 PM
Click Here to See the Profile for SLCVisor Edit/Delete Message Reply w/Quote
PDAENVY
Member

Registered: Nov 1999
Location: Ann Arbor, Michigan USA
Posts: 790

This page says "the eyemodule2 comes with a cool protective case and a lens cap!" and shows a picture.

I like the lens cap feature! Maybe they'll sell them separately to EM1 users!

__________________
Jeff

PDAENVY is offline Old Post 02-13-2001 03:37 PM
Click Here to See the Profile for PDAENVY Edit/Delete Message Reply w/Quote
Usonian
Member

Registered: Feb 2000
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Posts: 165

Re: Eyemodule Resolution

quote:
Originally posted by SLCVisor
Do not believe the "higher resolution" claims on the EyeModule...

...If you are thinking that the resolution of the images taken by an EyeModule are anywhere near a digital camera, you are mistaken.



Well, this is an issue of semantics. My Olympus D400 takes pictures at 1280x960, but when I transfer them onto my PC their resolution is still 72 DPI. At 72 DPI, 1280x960 = 17.78" x 3.33", compared to Eyemodule 2's 8.89" x 6.67" at 640x480. More pixels, but the same resolution as
both the Eyemodule and Eyemodule 2.

If I want to print my Olympus D400 image at photo quality, I would need to set the image's resolution to 300 DPI, which works out to 4.27" x 3.2", compared to the Eyemodule 2's 2.13" x 1.6" at 640x480. This doesn't change the actual number of pixels in the image, rather it tells image editing programs and printers the amount of space the image is supposed to occupy; more pixels in a smaller space = higher resolution.

The Eyemodule 2 does capture more pixels than the Eyemodule 1, which translates to larger images at the same resolution of 72 DPI, or higher resolution at the same size as the Eyemodule 1's images:

Eyemodule 1: 320x240 @ 72 DPI = 4.44" x 3.33"
Eyemodule 2: 640x480 @ 144 DPI = 4.44" x 3.33"

__________________
<br>"Form follows function - that has been misunderstood. Form and function should be one, joined in a spiritual union" -Frank Lloyd Wright

Usonian is offline Old Post 02-13-2001 03:55 PM
Click Here to See the Profile for Usonian Edit/Delete Message Reply w/Quote
DBrown
Member

Registered: Jan 2001
Location: Midwest
Posts: 232

Re: Eyemodule Resolution

quote:
Originally posted by SLCVisor
Do not believe the "higher resolution" claims on the EyeModule. From what the www.eyemodule.com site is showing on their sample images, the resolution of the images has not changed. The images are still only a 72dpi resolution. The image size has increased, but the resolution is still the same. If you are thinking that the resolution of the images taken by an EyeModule are anywhere near a digital camera, you are mistaken.


It doesn't matter, SLCVisor. 640x480 pictures take up 4 times as much of my monitor's space as 320x240 pictures do. I can enlarge a 320x240 picture so that it appears as large as a 640x480 picture, but it won't have as much information in it, and won't appear as crisp. The "USE" of resolution is primarily in how you print or display the pictures. Printers have far more resolution than most pictures they print, but the images are scaled to print as large as we want them, irregardless of their native pixel dimensions.

What use is it knowing something is 72dpi? Got a scanner? Set it for 72dpi and scan a 8.9"x6.7" picture. It'll appear about the same as eyemodule pictures at 640x480 pixels do and take up the same amount of screen space. Print that same picture at 300dpi, but at it's native pixel resolution (one pixel to one printed dot) and it'll only be 2.13"x1.6" on the page.

Is it comparable to REAL digital cameras? Go to walmart. You'll find several (ok, they're cheap) digital cameras that take 640x480 pictures.

Considering that the EM2 is only $199, I doubt anyone really expected a 2 megapixel or better digital camera. We all WANTED one, of course, but it's not going to happen for that price.

Dave

__________________
There is nothing yet made by man that cannot be improved upon.

DBrown is offline Old Post 02-13-2001 04:07 PM
Click Here to See the Profile for DBrown Edit/Delete Message Reply w/Quote
dabirk
Member

Registered: Sep 1999
Location: Plainview, NY
Posts: 116

Talking eyemodule2 amazon

What happened to amazon.com offer of the eye2 for $50.00 off
promo?
Does anyone know?
dabirk

__________________
Dave B (Grandpa Geek)"If it ain't broke, don't fix it yet!
BUT IF IT IS PLEEZ FIX"

dabirk is offline Old Post 02-13-2001 05:56 PM
Click Here to See the Profile for dabirk Edit/Delete Message Reply w/Quote
canosatien
Member

Registered: Jul 2000
Location:
Posts: 24

Angry

Man, this suck!! Ideo hasn't been listening to its users!! Who the hell have 6mb of free memory on their visor, let alone fixed lens!!
I was so hyped and waited patiently about upgrading this but I guess I'll just wait for Kodak. Extremely disappointed.

canosatien is offline Old Post 02-13-2001 06:07 PM
Click Here to See the Profile for canosatien Edit/Delete Message Reply w/Quote
All times are GMT. The time now is 06:22 AM. Post New Thread    Post A Reply
 Pages (7): « 1 2 [3] 4 5 6 7 » Last Thread   Next Thread
[ Show a Printable Version | Email This Page to Someone! | Receive updates to this thread ]

Forum Jump:

Powered by: vBulletin Version 2.3.4
Copyright ©2000, 2001, Jelsoft Enterprises Limited.