Motorola Droid's strange camera bug

I have been seeing a lot of blog posts, discussions, and tweets about a bug in the Motorola Droid phone that causes autofocus to fail on certain dates and work on others.

I decided to talk to Mike Gikas, a Senior Electronics editor here at Consumer Reports to see if he could replicate the problem. I brought along my pocket video camera to record the action.

Mike's findings confirm that the autofocus bug is somehow date related. Images taken with the camera set to November 11th, were very blurry. Images taken with the camera set to November 17th were much more in focus. (Click on the images to see examples.)

Many blogs are reporting that the bug cycles every 24.5 days. Since the camera currently appears to be working correctly, users may be able to coast until December 11, when a patch for the Droid is expected to fix this problem.

We'll check back with Mike and other Consumer Reports experts after December 11th to see if a permanent fix has been released. —Dirk Klingner

3 ways to follow the World Series—digitally

For $9.99, watch up to four different camera angles at MLB.com.

One great thing about baseball’s postseason is the almost daily gratification of watching a pivotal game. It can also be one of the most inconvenient aspects. It’s easy enough to reserve an evening to watch the Superbowl; a little less so to hunker down in front of a TV for up to seven World-Series-filled nights. Major League Baseball (or was it the TV networks?) didn’t make time management any easier this year by scheduling game three on a night otherwise occupied by Halloween parties and trick-or-treating.

If you’re looking for an alternative way to catch the game (in case you’ll be walking hand-in-hand tomorrow night with a pint-sized vampire), or maybe just a way to mix up your usual gamewatch experience, technology has provided some new ones:

Get an app. iPhone and iPod Touch users have a number of resources for staying updated while mobile. MLB.com offers At Bat ($9.99), a popular application that lets you watch each game streaming live over your phone. With “Quad Mode” you can watch from up to four camera angles at the same time. The app also integrates Twitter so you can stay connected to friends and followers.

What’s that? You don’t pay for apps? Two free options are At Bat Lite and ESPN ScoreCenter. Both provide scores and game updates. ScoreCenter covers a multitude of professional leagues, from baseball and football to soccer and cricket.

Use your SLR camera to shoot a Halloween time-lapse video

Carved your pumpkin yet? If not, here's some inspiration in the form of a time-lapse video, an amalgam of sequential images condensing a longer period of time into a few minutes—in this case, the time it takes to play one verse of Michael Jackson's "Thriller."

You can make one yourself, MacGyver-like, with a digital SLR camera and a graphing calculator. Darren Rouse at Digital Photography School has posted a tutorial explaining how:

Nikon tweaks top SLR, now with video

The Nikon D3s D-SLR digital SLR camera at the PhotoPlus Expo trade show. (Click to enlarge.)
[PHOTO: Consumer Reports]

Although Canon’s new pro SLR, the EOS 1-D Mark IV, is getting lots of press here at PhotoPlus, it’s by no means the only SLR being lusted after by pros and photo-enthusiasts. Nikon recently introduced a tweaked version of its D-series pro SLRs: The Nikon D3s is a 12-megapixel SLR with a maximum ISO setting of 102,400 (no, that’s not a typo) and a burst mode of 9 frames per second. Like Canon’s Mark IV, it’s built like a Sherman tank.

The main difference from its predecessor, the Nikon D3, is that the D3s features HD-resolution video capture. According to the specs, it can capture 720 HD video at 24 frames per second. Like Canon’s Mark IV, it should shoot very good video in low light, but the D3s doesn’t have the variety of video capabilities that the Mark IV has. Also, as with the Mark IV, you can add an external microphone for stereo sound.

However, the D3s does have a full-frame sensor, one that’s the same large size as a frame of 35mm film. Such a sensor eliminates any crop factor on lenses attached to the camera. The Mark IV has a crop factor of 1.3x.

Like the Mark IV, it’ll cost you a pretty penny: The list price is $5200.

If you’re in the market for an SLR priced more for the average consumer than for a professional, check out our digital SLR Ratings (available to subscribers). —Terry Sullivan

Extra Extra: Consumer Reports Electronics Buying Guide is on sale

(Click to enlarge.)

It may be a tad early to start your holiday shopping, but there’s a good chance you’ve at least been thinking about it. Maybe you’ve had a big-ticket gift—like a new TV or home theater—in mind for a while now, but are putting off the purchase till November or December. If it’s sales you’re waiting for, you probably know what you want and how much you’re willing to pay. On the other hand, you might just a teeny bit leery of throwing so much cash at something you know very little about. Which is better: a plasma or LCD TV? Should you upgrade to a Blu-ray player or stick with standard-def DVDs?

If you find yourself in need of expert advice, consider the newest edition of the Consumer Reports Electronics Buying Guide. Inside you’ll find a wealth of information on everything from televisions and computers to smart phones, GPS units, and much more. For each product, the Consumer Reports editors walk you through the basics, explaining what’s available, which features matter, brand profiles, and offering tried-and-true shopping tips.

In addition to product information, the guide offers advice on how to shop smarter, including:

• Netting the best deals online, and protecting yourself when you shop on the Web


• When to repair and when to replace a broken item


• How to haggle effectively


• Finding the best electronics retailer based on our comprehensive annual survey


• How to save—and what to be wary of—with refurbished or open-box products on store shelves


• Where to get free office software, free computer security programs, and more useful freeware

LG's BD390 Blu-ray player: Now with Vudu, Rotten Tomatoes

LG’s BD390 Blu-ray player, now equipped with Vudu’s streaming movie service and Rotten Tomatoes ratings.(Click to enlarge.)
[PHOTO: Courtesy of Vudu]

Vudu, the movie-streaming service whose high-def HDX video format we recently evaluated on an LG plasma TV, is now available on the company’s BD390 Blu-ray player, one of the top-rated players in our latest Blu-ray player Ratings (available to subscribers).

But don’t be alarmed if you boot up the player and see shiny red vegetables, er, fruit, all over the screen—Vudu is now incorporating ratings from the Rotten Tomatoes website in its list of movies available for sale or rent.You can sort selections in your Vudu movie lists by the ratings score (which includes the site's beloved Tomatometer and fresh/rotten tomato icons), and see summary reviews from some of the top movie critics from around the country. And Vudu has redesigned its movie page to deliver the extra content more interactively.

If you own, or are about to buy, a BD390 Blu-ray player, it should receive a free Vudu-enabling firmware update automatically the next time it connects to LG’s NetCast online service. The player can connect to the Internet either using a wired Ethernet connection, or wirelessly via the player’s built-in Wi-Fi connection). Vudu is also available on 42- and 47-inch LH50 LCD TVs and 50- and 60-inch PS80 plasma models. —James K. Willcox

Samsung adds Blockbuster, Amazon on-demand video services

Samsung Series 7 7000 LED-backlit LCD TV. (Click to enlarge.)
[ PHOTO: Courtesy of Samsung ]

Tired of playing wallflower while other TV brands did the streaming-movie tango, Samsung today hit the dance floor with deals with both Blockbuster and Amazon to bring their respective on-demand movie services to select Samsung TVs, and in the case of Blockbuster, Blu-ray players and home-theater-in-a-box systems (HTIBs).

We've been waiting several months for Blockbuster On Demand, the video giant's streaming movie service, to appear on Samsung TVs, but weren't aware the service would be rolled out to other Internet-enabled devices. The deal with Amazon was also a surprise, as the company offers Netflix's instant-movie service on some Blu-ray players.

The Blockbuster On Demand service, which requires a firmware update, will be available on all Internet-enabled Series 650 and above LCD and plasma TVs, plus Series 7000 and above LCD models with LED backlights. In addition to the TVs, the service can be added to three Samsung Blu-ray players—models BD-P1600, BD-P3600 and BD-P4600—and Samsung’s HT-BD1250, HT-BD3252, HT-BD7200 and HT-BD8200 HTIB systems.

Does the Samsung Instinct HD really shoot HD video?

The Samsung Instinct HD.
[PHOTO courtesy of Samsung]

The Samsung Instinct HD, available from Sprint for $250 with a two-year contract after a $100 mail-in rebate, is the first cell phone we've seen that claims to make high-definition video recordings. It also boasts a 5-megapixel still camera with flash. That camera is a step up from the flashless, 2-megapixel camera found on previous Instincts, also from Sprint, including the S30 version now in our Ratings, available to subscribers.

We’re evaluating the Instinct HD now, and will post full test results on it to our Ratings later this month. Meantime, our initial results on its imaging are promising, albeit with a few quibbles.

The new Instinct’s camera is easy to access, thanks to a dedicated camera button, conveniently located on the lower right side of the phone. Pushing the button activates the camera’s still mode. Tapping a camera icon on the upper left of the largish (1.78 x 2.66 in.) display switches the camera to video mode. Tapping again summons controls for auto-focus, exposure, and other camera functions.

The Instinct HD claims it can record video resolution of 1280 x 720p, which is a true HD format—although, as we often point out, HD format alone does not assure images of pristine, high-definition quality. To assess quality, we shot a series of videos on the Instinct and hooked it up to a 50-inch Panasonic plasma television using the optional ($30) HDMI cable.

Our findings: Color was good in the MPEG4 videos, though they lacked fine detail and texture. They blurred even more when we panned the camera to the left or right. In short, they couldn’t rival the image quality you’d enjoy from full-sized HD camcorders in our Ratings, available to subscribers.

But such camcorders are much bigger and pricier than the Instinct HD, and do nothing except shoot video and stills. The high-def video quality of the Instinct was comparable to what you’d get from a standard-definition pocket camcorder, such as the Flip. And that's still way ahead of the video we've seen any other camera phone.

Dedicated GPS units vs. smart phone apps: Which is right for you?

Consumer Reports has tested numerous standalone GPS units as well as a number of navigation applications for phones. The options are many, and you may be torn between which to spend your money on: a downloadable app integrated into your iPhone or other smart phone, or a device dedicated solely to getting you to your destination.

Our new video comparing the two may help steer you in the right direction. The bottom line: If you’re a heavy GPS user, opt for a standalone unit. For context, check out the video at right. —Nick K. Mandle

Internet TVs get more streaming movie options

Panasonic’s Viera Cast screen was easy to navigate, but had less content than some other models. (Click to enlarge.)

One of the more interesting features now available on some TVs is the ability to access online content directly from the TV. Almost all the major brands offer some degree of online interactivity—typically in step-up models—which can range from simple RSS news feeds to the ability to stream full-length movies.

We recently tested online services on TVs from LG, Panasonic, Samsung, and Sony. (Mitsubishi, Sharp, and Vizio, include this feature on some sets.) Of the models we tested, all except Panasonic use a version of the widget-based platform developed by Yahoo, with a row of icons that appears on the screen, typically across the bottom.

With these widgets, you can directly access Web-based applications, such as weather, stock updates, financial news, Flickr photos, YouTube videos, eBay auctions, and other content in real time on the TV. New content providers are constantly being added, and some TVs will either automatically add these new widgets or prompt you to check for updates. Among the offerings are streaming entertainment services, such as movies from Amazon (Amazon Video On Demand), Netflix, Blockbuster (Blockbuuster OnDemand), and Vudu, or Internet radio stations such as Pandora or Slacker.

At the time of our tests, LG’s NetCast service had the most movie options, with access to both Netflix and Vudu. Sony’s Bravia Internet Video service had the most overall content (much of it targeting niche interests), including the ability to stream movies from Amazon Video On Demand and music from Slacker. (Netflix is slated to be added this fall.) Panasonic’s Viera Cast also offers Amazon’s streaming movie service. At the time of our testing, Samsung’s Medi@2.0 service lacked a movie service, though Blockbuster OnDemand is slated to be available on some sets this fall.

Vudu is available on some Mitsubishi models, and Vizio claims its VIA online platform, available on some VXT-series sets that will be ready in late November or early December, will include Amazon, Blockbuster, Netflix and Vudu, plus Rhapsody’s music service. Sharp won’t offer a video service via its AquosNet online service until next year.