Microsoft's Photosynth creates an interactive 3D panorama from multiple still images. CNN used the technology to re-create Obama's inauguration.
(Credit: CNET News)Microsoft's Photosynth is an impressive tool for stitching together dozens of photos to allow a place or event to be viewed from multiple angles.
The only hard part is it really takes 75 photos or more to get the optimal experience. That's a lot of work for one photographer. But, with big events, one can also rely on crowdsourcing. Which is what CNN has done with the inaugural, asking viewers to send in their photos of Barack Obama's swearing in.
The resulting Photosynth is pretty cool. (It requires Silverlight for viewing.)
For Microsoft, it marks a high-profile showcase of Photosynth and what the technology can do. I expect to see other news organizations use it for other events, particularly sports.
What's the coolest Photosynth you have seen? Post a link below so we can all enjoy.
Transitive, the company best known for powering the emulation layer that helped ease Apple's transition to Intel chips, announced Tuesday that it is being bought by IBM.
In addition to helping Apple create Rosetta, Transitive eased a number of different architecture transitions in the tech world, including SGI's move from MIPS to Itanium processors as well as an effort by Intel to woo Sun Microsystems customers. IBM was also a customer, using Transitive's tech to allow x86 workloads to run on Big Blue's Power processor-based servers.
IBM didn't say how much it would pay to acquire Transitive, which is headquartered in Los Gatos, Calif., and also has development efforts in Manchester, England. Transitive has about 100 employees. The deal is expected to close in early December.
"Transitive is a leader in cross-platform virtualization and a pioneer in developing technologies that allow applications written for one type of microprocessor and operating system to run on multiple platforms--with little or no modification," IBM said in a statement. "As a result, the technology will enable customers to consolidate their Linux-based applications onto the IBM systems that make the most sense for their business needs."
IBM plans to continue to offer its PowerVM LX 86 product, which is based on Transitive technology. IBM is evaluating Transitive's other products as part of its overall Systems product strategy.
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