Free Font - Montserrat

Montserrat is a well-constructed, clear, contemporary typeface, in the style of Gotham and Proxima Nova. Designed by Julieta Ulanovsky it is available in 8 weights (no italics) from Font Squirrel.
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Free Font - Argon

Inspiration Hut reports: [edited]

Tom Anders Watkins has created this font. A free download is available but if you are interested in buying the full download it is only $8. To download, simply click one of the links at the bottom of the article.
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Free images of women of colour in technology

WOCINTECH reports: [edited]

Earlier this month, we published a blog post where we discussed the problem of not having visible representations of women of colour engaging in technical tasks in stock images.

We’re excited to announce that the first batch of #WOCinTech photos are available under a Creative Commons (Attribution) license. This means that you may copy, distribute, and display the images as long as you attribute #WOCinTech Chat.

Our ask? That you use these photos to show a different representation of all women in tech. That you use these images in pieces about entrepreneurs, software engineers, infosec professionals, IT analysts, marketers, and other people who make up the tech ecosystem.

To visit the Flickr page, click here.
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FREE-IMAGES.CC

FREE-IMAGES.CC reports [edited]

It is with great pleasure, that we announce our new service: free-images.cc!

There are several aspects that will make free-images.cc superior to many other sites out there. Not only do we curate the images, but every image is tagged for better discoverability. And every photographer is named and honoured.

Every free image uploaded here will be under the creative commons public domain license.
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Guggenheim puts 1600 artworks online

Guggenheim reports: [edited]

Featuring nearly 1600 artworks by more than 575 artists, the Collection Online presents a searchable database of selected artworks from the Guggenheim’s permanent collection of over 7,000 artworks. The selected works reflect the breadth, diversity, and tenor of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation’s extensive holdings from the late 19th century through the present day, and are continually expanded to include a larger representation of the museum’s core holdings as well as recent acquisitions.

In addition to highlights from the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York, the Collection Online includes works from the Peggy Guggenheim Collection, Venice, and the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao. Visitors may browse by artist, date, artwork type, movement, or by several of the major groups of acquisitions that have entered the holdings of the foundation since its inception in 1937.
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Chameleon Pens

Core 77 reports: [edited]

Industrial designers and ID students need to carry a lot of markers. But now Indiana-based Chameleon Art Products reckon you can reduce your collection and perhaps gain some desk space by going with their Chameleon Pens, single markers that can produce the gradations you'd normally achieve with a handful.

The dual-chambered, dual-tipped Chameleons pull this trick off through a combination of alcohol ink and toner, which react via opposing, specially-designed nibs.


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Free Font - Cormorant

Font Squirrel reports: [edited]

Cormorant is a free display type family developed by Christian Thalmann (Catharsis Fonts). It comprises a total of 30 font files spanning 6 different styles (Roman, Italic, Upright Cursive, Roman Infant, Small Caps, Unicase) and 5 weights (Light, Regular, Medium, Semibold, Bold).

For more information about the typeface, click here.

Thanks to Conrad Gempf for the heads-up.
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BauBax Travel Jackets

Entrepeneur reports: [edited]

The BauBax jacket is a multi-purpose jacket intended to keep travellers organised with 15 features that include a built-in neck pillow, koozie drink pocket and iPad pocket, among others. So far, it has raised over $3 million from over 16,000 backers on Kickstarter.

The jacket comes in four different iterations (sweatshirt, blazer, windbreaker or bomber) and ranges from $109 to $129.


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DxO ONE

Digital Photography Review reports: [edited]

The DxO ONE connects to your iPhone via a Lightning adapter. Weighing 108g 67mm tall, 48mm wide x 25mm deep, the DxO ONE is small enough to fit in your pocket, yet features a 1"-type BSI-CMOS sensor. That means great low light sensitivity due to the BSI design, and fantastic Raw dynamic range. Combined with the bright F1.8 lens, you'll get far better image quality than your iPhone's camera, with better low light performance and control over depth-of-field.

DxO is a leader in digital image-processing. The SuperRAW feature captures four Raw images in rapid succession, then combines these images in the desktop software using spatial and temporal noise reduction algorithms to generate a high quality, lower noise image. Simple image averaging of four images should lead to a 2 EV increase in noise performance due to shot noise considerations alone which, by itself, is impressive. But there's even more going on.

If there's any subject movement, the algorithm takes the sharpest representation of that subject. Furthermore, the quartet of shots are carefully analysed for motion blur to attempt some de-blurring of the image, which simulates image stabilisation.

Connect the camera to your iPhone, and you're instantly taken to the App store to download the camera app. A couple of steps later, and you're on to taking your first photo. After your app is already installed, connecting the ONE to your iPhone launches the app.

Price: $599
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Google Project Soli

Airows reports: [edited]
Google is developing a new interaction sensor using radar technology that can track movement with impressive accuracy. It's the size of a small computer chip and can be inserted into everyday objects.

Thanks to Keith Seckel for the heads-up


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Batteriser

TechHive reports: [edited]

Batteriser is a simple metal sleeve that promises to give consumers up to eight times more life from their disposable batteries, AAA through D.

A completely new alkaline battery is rated to generate 1.5 volts, but once its output drops below 1.35 or even 1.4 volts, it effectively becomes useless to many devices. The battery’s chemical cocktail is still loaded with juice, but the circuitry in many gadgets (especially more sophisticated ones, like Bluetooth keyboards and bathroom scales) considers the battery dead.

This is where Batteriser comes in. It’s essentially a voltage booster that sucks every last drop of useable energy from ostensibly spent batteries. So, instead of using just 20 percent of all the power hidden inside of your Duracells and Energizers, Batteriser makes effective use of the remaining 80 percent.

Voltage boosters are nothing new, but Batteriser scales down the technology to the point where it can fit inside a stainless steel sleeve less than 0.1 mm thick. Roohparvar says the sleeves are thin enough to fit inside almost every battery compartment imaginable, and the combined package can extend battery life between 4.9x for devices like remote controls and 9.1x for various electronic toys.

Batteriser will cost $10 for a pack of four when it goes on sale in September.
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Lily - Throw-and-Shoot Camera Drone

PetaPixel reports: [edited]

Lily lets anyone capture cinematic aerial photos and videos without needing to do any piloting.

Using the Lily involves putting a tracking device on the subject you’d like Lily to follow, throwing the Lily into the air, after which Lily flies and shoots using GPS and computer vision to follow the tracking device at up to 25mph.

The drone itself is waterproof and floats, allowing you to safely land it in water if needed. Size-wise, it easily fits in a backpack and weighs less than an average laptop.

Onboard is a camera that can shoot 12 megapixel stills, 1080p HD video at 60fps, and 720p/120fps slow motion footage. The internal battery allows for 20 minutes of flight per charge.

The Lily will start shipping in February 2016 for the price of $999, but the company is currently taking pre-orders through its website for $499.


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LG 1mm OLED Display

Pocket Lint reports: [edited]

The OLED TV was shown as a proof of concept at a press event in Korea. The 55-inch TV was a meagre 0.97mm thick and weighed just 1.9kg.

By mounting a thin magnet to the wall the TV can be attached like a fridge magnet. To remove it you simply peel it off the wall. It also appears to be flexible making damaging it difficult and curving it easy.

LG Display plans to keep pushing OLED and will introduce a 99-inch OLED screen this summer.
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QromaScan

Digital Photography Review reports: [edited]

The QromaScan uses 12 LEDs to illuminate its interior. To start scanning you open the dedicated app on your phone and put the device onto the box with the camera facing downward. When the photo is in position below it, the camera on your smartphone is used to capture the image, using voice recognition to avoid camera shake.

Location and time can be added to the metadata of the resulting digital image using voice control. The same method can be used to tag people in an image, allowing for easy organisation of your pictures. Currently, this only works with iOS devices but an Android version is in the works as well.

The makers of the QromaScan have launched a Kickstarter campaign to finance final development and mass production. Early birds can secure a QromaScan for $35 but a range of backing options are available. Shipping is expected for July 2015.
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Samsung NX1

Digital Photography Review has published a full review of Samsung's 'enthusiast' mirrorless camera.

Snippets from the conclusion follow:

"One can almost imagine a group of Samsung engineers sitting in a conference room and having the spec sheets of every leading APS-C and four thirds camera dropped in front of them, along with a directive to outperform the whole lot."

"And to a certain extent they seem to have pulled it off. Canon 7D II for autofocus and frame rate? Check. Panasonic GH4 for video? Check. Sony sensors for dynamic range and ISO sensitivity? Check. The result is a camera loaded with features for both still photography and video, and which excels at both."

The company seems to have listened to users when designing the camera. Not only is it a well designed tool from a usability standpoint, but Samsung managed to pack it full of technical improvements that are hard to ignore, such as best in class image quality and best in class video quality.

We could probably justify giving the NX1 an award simply based on technological advancements and raising the bar for both image quality and video performance in its class. But those achievements are wrapped inside a well designed camera with a great user experience. Congratulations to the Samsung NX1 for winning our Gold Award.
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Microsoft Office Lens for iOS and Android

c|net reports: [edited]

Office Lens, a scanning app that's been a hit on Windows Phone, is coming to iOS and Android. The free App allows users to take pictures of receipts, business cards, whiteboards, sticky notes and export them to OneNote, Microsoft's note-taking app, as well as Word, Powerpoint, PDF, Mail & Photo Library.

Office Lens automatically crops, enhances and cleans up images. It also enables users to search for key words in the images via optical character recognition.
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Fuji X100T

Digital Photography Review has published a review of Fujifilm's large sensor prime compact.

Snippets from the conclusion follow:

"The X100 was a breakthrough camera when it first appeared: making good on the large sensor, small camera idea first pursued by Sigma. It was a potentially great camera, riddled with quirks and inconsistencies. However, Fujifilm continued to develop the camera and the X100 today is much closer to being the classic that its looks imply."

"Whether it's the addition of Wi-Fi, the provision of 1/3rd stop increments on the aperture dial or the move to dedicated directional buttons, rather than the cheap-compact style wheel on the back of the camera, there are plenty of changes that make the camera better. Equally, the addition of an electronic shutter option and a greater degree of camera customisation make a big difference.

We've been really impressed with the image quality from the X100 series, the JPEG color is excellent and the F2 maximum aperture is wide enough to give a little bit of background blur at reasonable working distances, meaning you can get images that look distinct from most other small cameras.

There's nothing else on the market that offers the same combination of image quality and shooting experience, thanks to its direct controls and clever viewfinder.

Overall, it's a small but significant step forward for the series. It's a lovely camera, and well worth considering if you've never owned one of the series before, but it's not the 'rush out and buy one now' product that we keep hoping the X100 series will be.
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Using video games in job interviews

New Scientist reports: [edited]

Last week a company called Starfighter was launched. Its aim is to create games you can only master if you have a talent for programming, although those with a natural aptitude can learn as they play. If you do well in a game, the firm knows you are ripe for hiring.

Starfighter's games will have a story. "You'll pretend you're a spy for the day, for example," says Patrick McKenzie, Starfighter's CEO and co-founder. "The story might be to break into tech that's securing state secrets, but it's the same tech you'd use to secure a bank in the real world."

The assumption is that the players who are best at breaking into the software in the game will also be the best at securing it in the real world. Starfighter works with top players to place them in jobs fitting the skills they have demonstrated, if they want them.

Starfighter's games will be totally free, and while they won't have fancy graphics, they will be engaging to play just for fun. Starfighter isn't ready to talk about exactly which skills their games will test, but its founders have already built a game called Microcorruption. It imagines a scenario in which players must break into locked warehouses all over the world, each one stuffed with cash. A smartphone app controls each warehouse lock, and the players have to break in without knowing the code. Of 12224 players, just 182 passed the hardest level. The firm will get in touch with these elite players and help place them with one of their clients, who pay Starfighter a fee.
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Olympus OM-D E-M5 II

Digital Photography Review has published a full review of the update to Olympus' OM-D E-M5.

Snippets from the conclusion follow:

"The Olympus E-M5 II is a more significant reworking of its predecessor than its looks or choice of sensor seem to suggest. The camera boasts a wealth of additional features and refinements to many of the existing ones have been upgraded."

The image quality isn't radically changed, compared with the original E-M5. This means it's still very good, with Raw files as clean and malleable as you'd expect for a Micro Four Thirds camera. The JPEG engine remains one of our favorites, producing bright, pleasant images at all but the highest ISO settings.

Raw performance is strong, in that it offers a similar performance (proportionate to sensor size) to its other Sony-sensored rivals (such as the Nikon D5500 and Sony a6000). However, while this means it offers more flexible Raws than the current batch of Canon APS-C cameras, the advances Samsung has made in its NX1 and NX500 mean the M5 II's performance is no longer standout excellent.

The high-res mode is only useful in a narrow range of situations, requires a good lens and requires absolute stability, but the results it yields can be impressive.

The camera feels great and fits well in the hand, and offers an impressive amount of direct control for a body that's so small. This compact form factor is aided by separating the flash out as a separate clip-on unit.

The E-M5 II is probably the stand-out Micro Four Thirds camera in a market with some very good rivals. This shifts more of the emphasis of its appeal and appropriateness to the strength of the Micro Four Thirds system as a whole: if it offers the lenses and size/price/image quality balance that's right for you, then the E-M5 II should be top of your list. But in these competitive times, the E-M5 is no longer the mirrorless king: it's merely the heir-apparent to one of the great mirrorless families.
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MacBook 12" First Impressions

Wall Street Journal reports: [edited]

At some point, I will stop being surprised at how thin and light gadgets continue to get. But not today. Picking it up the MacBook feels like lifting an iPad rather than a laptop. And when you look at the 13.1mm-thick machine from the side, it looks like a screen propped up by a metal stand.

Of course, it’s thin because all the ports you know and love are in the trash. No more SD card slot, no more full-sized USB ports or Thunderbolt. All that’s left is a headphone jack and one — and only one — USB Type C port. The latter charges the laptop, but also can be used to send video to monitors and connect and charge other devices.

The edge-to-edge, 2304×1440-pixel Retina 12-inch display is crisp and bright — a huge improvement over the current MacBook Air.

The trackpad has a smoother coating and new touch capabilities. Called Force Touch, the pad is now a single piece of flat glass that can respond to different pressure. You’ll still feel a 'click' when you press down on it, but that is actually all done with software. In a demo, Apple showed me how to press gently on the pad and then more firmly to speed up a video. I’m not sure how useful that feature will be, but the good news is that for regular navigating, the trackpad feels better than ever.

To accommodate the thinner bottom, the keyboard also had to be slimmed down. A new mechanism under the keys still gives them a slight spring—functional. It is harder to tell where the keys start and end. So I was shocked at how fast and accurate I was able to type.

It weighs 920 grammes (less than my iPad 3 with its case, Ed.) Apple claims the new MacBook will get nine hours of battery life.

Available in Silver, Gold and Space Grey. Prices start at £1049. Available 'soon'.
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Free Font - Blenda

Behance reports: [edited]

Blenda Script is a free experimental font inspired by Lobster Font with a number of alternative letters and swashes.

License: Free for personal and commercial use.
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Free Font - Cabin

Impallari reports: [edited]

The Cabin Font is a humanist sans inspired by Edward Johnston's and Eric Gill's typefaces, with a touch of modernism.

It incorporates modern proportions, optical adjustments, and some elements of the geometric sans.

Cabin comes in 8 styles: Regular, Medium, Semibold & Bold, with their corresponding italics.
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Ampersand Table

Behance reports: [edited]

In homage to the fabulous curves & dynamic line weights of the great American type designer, Herb Lubalin (and his unsung genius letterer Tom Carnase), this table for two is modelled on one of his voluptuous 1970s ampersands for U&lc Magazine.

Construction was inspired by the simplicity of surfboard fins – the legs are attached with a precision-fit slot and tab technique. No nails or screws.

Designed by Matt Innes & Saori Kajiwara. CNC router cut, hand glued & finished in Danish oil & beeswax. 1100 x 1000 x 350mm, hardwood ply, food-safe glue. 45mm 3-ply surface.
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Dell XPS 13 (2015)

Engadget has published a review of what is currently the world's smallest 13-inch laptop.

Summary & 'Pros & Cons' follow:

"With Intel's new fifth-generation Core processor, the redesigned, 1.2kg XPS is notable for its nearly bezel-less display -a design feat that allows it to have the footprint of an 11-inch machine. And a starting price of $800 (or, if you are in the UK, £1,099! Ed.)."

Other than an update to the touchpad, there's very little we would change about Dell's redesigned XPS 13: It's compact and well-built, with a gorgeous screen, fast performance and surprisingly good audio quality. You'll pay dearly to get it with a touchscreen, but even then, it's priced in line with other flagship Ultrabooks.

Pros:

- Nearly bezel-less display
- Vibrant screen
- Excellent audio
- Attractive & well-built
- Comfortable keyboard
- Powerful

Cons:

- Average battery life
- Touchpad not great
- Expensive with touchscreen
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Seagate Seven Portable External Drive

The Register reports: [edited]

The Seagate Seven is a 7mm thick, 500GB portable external drive. It has a bare drive look with its steel enclosure punched into shape via a deep draw manufacturing process.

Seagate claims its low profile motor technologies include "extreme Gyro handling capabilities with tablets and thin computing in mind".

It hooks up to host computers with a braided USB 3.0 cable.

Price: $99
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